Second Hand News
by JJBluebell
Summary: The 80's hadn't been what Jackie had hoped for, in fact they'd been hell, the worst three years of her life. Everything she'd ever loved had changed or been destroyed. She changed, she had to to survive. But when she wakes up in her old room, in her old life, in 1977, she makes a vow to make it right; even if the cost is everything she ever wanted. J/H Story - J/E friendship
1. Chapter 1

The last few years had passed by in a blur of noise for Jackie, well except that last year, 1983 had dragged maliciously slow, each day felt emptier than the last.

It's strange how things had turned out, she always had a plan, knew what she wanted, knew how life worked.

God, how stupid had she been.

She'd come into the 80's with a head full of hope and dreams and for a while it was okay, she was okay.

Then Fez asked her to marry him, out of nowhere and in front of all the people she loved; but she never got to answer his question. Her flickering gaze finding Hyde over Fez's shoulder was the only answer he needed.

They hadn't spoken much after that, he needed time. That time turned into sweet, informal birthday and Christmas cards.

He was another of the people she loved that had left her behind. Kelso and Brooke had tried to stay in touch, but work and Betsy kept them so busy. She and Donna never really got back to what they were, they'd smile and nod in the street, sometimes they even made small talk but neither sought out the other.

She'd lost her sister.

And Hyde, well, she lost him so long ago… his indifference to her had constantly picked away at the never healing scab that coated her heart.

If it wasn't for Eric and his parents Jackie wondered what would have happened to her; how alone she'd truly be.

On Tuesday's she'd go and have tea with Mrs Forman, who'd somehow managed to teach the helpless little socialite how to cook the most perfect apple pie you've ever eaten.

Saturday was more often than not spent in the garage with Mr Forman, after that day with the flashlight her interest in cars had sored and for a long time she kept that passion hidden, until there was no one left to hide it from anymore.

Now, thanks to Red, she could take apart a car engine blindfolded and then piece it back together with touch alone.

Then there was Eric, her best friend.

I know it's crazy right?

Eric Forman and Jackie Burkhart; Best friends.

If you'd have told her that was even a possibility six years ago she'd have kicked you so hard in the shins your bones would have wobbled for a week.

Their strange connection began a few weeks after he'd come home. Eric was playing catch up with the people he loved who'd turned into strangers, Donna became mean, Hyde cruel, Fez was successful, Kelso responsible and Jackie was quiet.

His world had turned on its head so yeah, he needed a drink, he didn't know she'd be there, sitting alone in a dark corner.

That night they barely talked, three weeks into it they pretended like it didn't matter, pretended everything was the way he'd left it.

By week six Eric was sobbing into her arms about how fucked up everything was.

They'd laugh later, him joking about how the Devil had comforted and soothed him, had let him pass out in her bed while yelling at him to drink the water she was practically forcing down his throat.

So by the time her relationship with Fez blew up the idea of getting a place together was the most natural thing in the world.

Kitty cried.

Donna wasn't happy.

Hyde didn't say a word.

Red was just happy he was moving back out.

Everything was okay, 82' was okay… she was going back to school; Majoring in Fashion and Minoring in Engineering. She always smiled sadly at how proud the old Donna would have been and how the old Jackie would have recoiled in horror.

Eric had started up his own little comic book store that made his eyes fill up with that childlike joy he'd almost forgotten. Him and Donna were trying to make a go of it. She was going to Collage too, Jackie saw her around campus sometimes and shared awkward small talk when she came around the apartment.

It sucked.

Fez had moved to New York after getting a job with La Coupe, one of the most famous Salons in the country.

Michael and Brooke got married that summer, Jackie had helped make her dress, Hyde wasn't invited. Brooke said it was in case he got drunk and caused a scene like he had at Betsy's birthday party, him and the girl they'd hired to play Cinderella could be heard from way beyond the closet.

Hyde seemed okay I guess, Jackie didn't really know, even after all that time it hurt too much to be near him. He ran Grooves, drank, went through most the girls in town, had fun. He'd even moved out of the basement and into his own apartment just above the store.

But that was last year, before 'it' happened.

7th November 1982, four days before Veteran's Day.

Randy had locked himself out of the store and took the side entrance to the apartment upstairs to get Hyde to open up… the ambulance arrived less than five minutes later.

Almost 12 hours to late.

Steven J Hyde lll… was dead.

Alcohol poisoning.

Kitty couldn't seem to do anything but cry, screaming about how her boy was gone.

W.B. wouldn't talk to anyone, just locked himself away.

Angie started drinking just to stop crying.

Leo had checked into rehab.

Donna broke down in a sea of tears.

While Eric just broke. He was stiff and silent as he cried. That little light left inside of him finally snuffed out.

Fez had come home and felt almost empty at the truth.

Kelso was convinced it was a burn, because it was Hyde. Hyde didn't die, he couldn't… but he did.

Edna actually showed up to the funeral, hand in hand with Bud, they didn't stick around long after Kitty started screaming at them.

Shocker.

It didn't seem to hit Red until after the funeral, him and Jackie were working on the car and in a moment of silence, noticing one of Steven's old rag's he used to clean the El Camaro, Red broke.

Jackie had never seen Red cry before.

That's when it hit her.

She ran to the basement, into Hyde's old room and fell to the cold hard floor in a fit of tears, tearing through old boxes to find something, anything to prove he'd been there, he was real… and once he was hers.

That was where Eric found her, sobbing into one of Hyde's old t-shirt. He didn't say a word as she scooped her into his arms, letting her punch and scratch and scream.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't right.

He was really gone.

The following weeks were hell, cleaning out his apartment had been torture, Fez had already flown back to New York, Kelso went home to his wife and daughter, while the Forman's tried to hold each other together.

That left it to Jackie, Donna and Eric.

It hadn't gone well.

Ever since Hyde's funeral the tall girl would sneer at the sight of the brunette she once called family. It all come out in a screaming match, how the ex-redhead blamed Jackie for their friend's death, after all he wasn't such a heavy drinker before Chicago.

Eric had stepped in, calling Donna out on all her mistakes, on how Hyde chose Sam, chose to drink, chose wrong.

Jackie had fled the apartment in tears. Unable to cope; to breathe.

When Eric came home that night he crawled into her bed and cradled her into his chest, arms wrapped tight around her middle as he told her Donna wouldn't be coming around anymore.

He spent the next few weeks at the bottom of a bottle or high as the sky, Jackie there to watch over him each time.

Cleaning off his chin as he puked and cried, morning a woman that didn't exist anymore.

One day she came home and found him outside their apartment building, a small fire raging inside a trash can. Eric was stone, cold and hard even as tears rolled down his cheeks and he fed pictures and years' worth of memento's to the flames.

He was supposed to meet Donna that morning to talk… she made him choose.

In her words "Me, or that bitch that killed your best friend."

He didn't know her anymore, his Donna was gone, maybe she'd left with Hyde.

He wasn't sure, but as Jackie's tiny arms wrapped around his bony waist, silently trying to comfort him, to let him know it was going to be okay, he knew he'd made the right call.

After all, who'd choose a stranger over their best friend.

It was a year to the day that Steven was gone and again things had changed.

The only ones who talked regularly where Jackie and Eric, Kelso called every few weeks, but never visited. Last they heard Fez was opening his own Salon and Donna had moved the Chicago on some scholarship.

Jackie was currently sat buddha style near the cash register in 'Super-Reads', Eric's store, while trying to finish some homework.

Honestly if Pam Burkhart walked in now she wouldn't be able to recognize her own daughter.

Jackie had taken to wearing Steven's shirts, no, she hasn't lost her girly fashion crazed mind, her hair and nails still held their perfect Jackie magic. It's just that she couldn't bear to get rid of them, good will be dammed because these where Steven's shirts and they smelled like him.

Like cigarettes, pot and that sweet burnt sugar smell that was just him.

She needed them.

She spared a glance at the small tattoo on the corner of her wrist, it was a birthday present from Eric. When she told him, she wanted a tattoo he assumed a butterfly, or some flowery girly thing bust instead she'd spent months researching exactly what she wanted and when she showed Eric the picture of an open circle made with the sweeping pattern of a brush "It's called a Zen circle." was the only explanation she'd offered. he just nodded in his sweet, Eric way.

"hey tiny-Devil, my mom just called, she wants to know how much longer we're going to be."

Jackie didn't look up from her notes as she shrugged with a small smile of her face "you tell me Twitch. I can do all this in the car so really, you're the one getting yelled at."

"So not fair. I'm calling the suppliers again!" He'd been waiting for a new delivery since 8 am and it was almost 6 now, they'd arranged to head over for a family meal at his parents for 5:30.

Jackie even made a pie.

After dinner they were going to head over to the cemetery with a six pack and have a sad little circle, Red and Kitty had already gone that morning to lay some flowers that Steven would have called sissy and stupid.

They were going to spend the night, it was better to be around family right now, that what Kitty said at least.

It tugged on Jackie's heart knowing how losing Steven had broken the mother of their once tight nit group. Yeah Kitty put on a brave face, smiled and laughed and fed every person that walks through the door. But that smile never reached her eyes, never lasted more than a few seconds.

Red wasn't happy either, his second heart attack had hit hard, another one would probably kill him.

"Jackie why don't you head on over, no point in both of us getting a foot up our ass." Eric handed her the car keys, fiddling with the worn rabbit's foot on the chain.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, supplier said they'd be another half hour. I'll take a cab after I call Natale."

The old Eric would have made a remark about how the suppliers were clearly run by the Dark Side and Darth Vader was trying to destroy his business.

She'd have given all her Prada shoes to hear him say something with that dorky joyous tone again, but that died with Steven.

Eric said he was just growing up but this was Jackie he was talking to, who knew how he coordinated his underwear and sock draw by colour and that no matter how nice and sweet Natale (his girlfriend of four months) was, she wasn't Donna.

Just like every guy Jackie tried to date wasn't Steven, she either came home frustrated that they were to different from him or distraught because they were so similar. So, she gave up on love.

That's right, Jackie Burkhart gave up on love… mostly because her love had drunk himself to death hating her!

"Okay, but remember I told you, the more you yell at them…"

"…the quicker they move. Yeah I know." Eric offered her a half-hearted smile, as she headed out the door, sharing a half hug as she shrugged on her coat.

She fingered the keys of the El Camaro, Eric had taken possession of Steven's car after it had sat in the garage for few months, but the idea of it rusting away was too much for the skinny man to bear. Especially after the engine had all but fallen out of the Vistara Cruiser.

Jackie flicked on the radio, focusing on the light fog in the road and tried to ignore the fact she was in Steven's car, she hated driving it, knowing he never would have let anyone else behind the wheel. It felt like a betrayal.

But Eric got the car, she got his t-shirt's and they split his record collection.

Believe it or not Jackie actually really liked some of those albums, she'd gotten used to them back when her and Steven were together, after he was gone they where the only thing that helped her sleep, he'd always loved falling asleep to music…

So, she loved his music for him.

But Dancing Queen was still her anthem!

The radio crackled, drawing her attention for a second…

" _Jackie…"_

Her heart almost stopped in her chest as the crackled voice. Another few seconds of crackling and the song came back on, clear as day.

She was losing her mind.

Once her eyes where back on the road she quickly spun the wheel, avoiding the stag she was about to mow down only for the car to flip on the black ice.

Jackie's head felt like she'd been hit in the head with a sledge hammer, and maybe like she was starting to need glasses because everything was blurred.

Her body screamed at her as she crawled out of the car, losing one of her favourite pumps as she went. Her body gave out barely a foot from the car… she rolled onto her back, her head pulsing and throbbing, blood spilling out into the road like syrup from a fallen bottle.

Now that she'd stopped moving it didn't hurt so much, but she couldn't catch her breath. Instead she tried to focus on the stars, on something beautiful, anything except the fact she was dying.

She was scared, scared of leaving, of what would happen to the people left behind. She wondered if this is what _**He**_ felt, because there was no white light, no images of her life flashing before her eyes.

She just felt cold and sore, hearing a faint ringing in her ears and then, nothing.

Black…

"Miss Jackie, time to wake up…"

Her eyes snapped open without the pain and ringing she was sure was there a moment ago. The even more confusing thing was the bright pink poster covered walls facing her.

What the fuck?

"Good morning, Miss Jackie."

Jackie's attention was drawn to a stocky Latino lady she once knew "Daniella?"

"Breakfast is waiting, and your parents are already down stairs, now, mush." Jackie watched her old maid walk out the room with shock and horror, after all the woman had been dead for four years!

Jumping out of the bed like it had caught on fire Jackie looked over the room with wide eyes, her room, her clothes even her stuffed teddy bears. Then her gaze landed on the full-length dress mirror in the far corner of the room, meeting the image of her younger, fresher faced self and naturally did the only rational thing she could.

She screamed high bloody murder!


	2. Chapter 2

This was insane.

Ridiculous.

Some fucked up dream.

I mean clearly, she was passed out in the middle of the road and had slipped into some sort of coma because how else could you explain the fact that she was suddenly standing in her old bedroom in her slightly younger-but-still-beautiful-as-ever body.

"Kitten, what's the matter?"

Jackie had been so busy freaking out that she didn't even hear her bedroom door open, her father looking at her curiously, after all she did just scream the house down.

"Daddy…"

Jack Burkhart took a step closer to his little girl, worry starting to pool at the strange look in her eyes "What's wrong? Did you see a spider? Jackie, why were you screaming?"

Blinking herself clear of the fog in her head Jackie just nodded "Spider."

In all honesty she hadn't feared spiders in years, she lived with Eric for god sake, so if she didn't man up neither of them would have been able to ever use the bathroom again.

With a sigh of relief Jack kissed her on the head "I'll get Daniella in here to get it. I have to head to work now Kitten, I'm not sure what time I'll be home and your Mother's going to the country club so be good, alright? I love you."

She didn't get a chance to mutter out an overly excited 'I love you too, Daddy' like she once did before he'd walked out the room, door closed behind him.

She fell to the floor, her knees crushing into the soft pink carpet. Her mind was going a mile a minute… then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fluffycakes, the overly stuffed pink unicorn Michael had bought after taking her virginity and then spending a week flipping a coin on whether to dump her.

Reaching out she dug her perfect nails into the seems and started ripping it apart, after all she had done pretty much the same thing to the offending unicorn once before.

It was strangely therapeutic at the time.

Now though, as white stuffing started to fall around her like snow, it was barely a frustration release.

She didn't understand what the hell was happening, she only knew one thing… she needed Eric!

So, digging through her clothes, most of which she had tossed years ago, she found some semblance of an outfit, and raced for the door after quickly brushing her hair. She thanked god that she was so pretty and the makeup she wore was only to highlight that… imagine if she had to go outside without makeup and be ugly!

The horror.

No, really!

She raced through the streets like a mad woman, she hadn't been behind the wheel of her Firebird since she sold it for rent money while living with Fez.

She was half way to her and Eric's apartment before she turned around, realizing in this stupid dream world he wouldn't be there.

He'd be home.

She let herself into the kitchen and practically threw herself into Kitty's arms "Oh my god Mrs Forman, it's just so horrible!"

"well now, honey it can't be that bad." She smiled at her, a real smile filled with sweetness and light just like Jackie remembered.

"It is, I need to talk to Eric. Is he here?"

"Last I saw he was in the basement I think… do you need to talk? Maybe we should call your mother?" this Kitty didn't know that Pam Burkhart was a dead-beat mom in designer heels, so Jackie just kissed her cheek as she stormed towards the basement door "No, I just need Eric!"

Kitty watched after her with a slight frown, wondering what could bring the little bossy girl to have so much fear in her voice. She only hoped her Eric could help his little friend.

"ERIC! Eric are you here?" Jackie pleaded as she took two steps at a time, but the basement was deserted. She couldn't do this, couldn't even think it… Eric would know what to do, he was the smart one, the reliable one, he would…

"Man, it's like 9 am what are you even doing here?"

A bucket of ice had been dropped on her head, she couldn't move, she was sure even her blood stopped circling because just…NO!

"Hello, earth to Jackie? Anything in there besides cotton candy and radiation?" her body moved without her say so, turned to find him stood there.

Sunglasses tucked into a band tee, those mutton chop sideburns and he was looking at her; those beautiful blue eyes were just looking right at her.

Steven.

"Jackie, man, are you okay?" he took a step forward to her step back, her arm reaching out to stop him coming any closer. She wasn't sure if she could keep breathing if he came closer.

But his voice, oh his voice was warm with that sweet concern that Jackie hadn't heard in years.

This was a trick, a cruel, cruel trick.

Hyde looked her over as she stared bug eyed at him. She looked like she'd seen a ghost, like she was about to shatter into a million pieces; her face was a pasty white colour, her big brown eyes watery and it took him a second to realize she wasn't wearing makeup.

Jesus Christ, what had happened?

Hyde was so busy wondering what could be so bad that Jackie would actually leave the house without her perfectly applied makeup to notice her hand, shaking as it inched closer to him, because she had to know, she had to know if this was some illusion her head had invented to torture her.

Then her fingertips lightly brushing against his jaw, the light stubble scratching at her soft tips "S-Steven…" her voice was barely a broken whisper, but he heard it.

"Hey, Jackie…" he didn't get a chance to finish his thought before she was in his arms, her fingers clawing into the back of his shirt as her other hand buried into his curls, scratching at his skull to pull him closer and her face was shoved hard into the crook of his neck.

He could feel her trembling against him, hear chest rising a touch to quick as she sobbed and breathed him in.

Pot, cigarettes and burnt sugar.

Jackie never wanted to breath any other scent again.

Hyde was starting to panic because, yeah, there was a hysterical cheerleader clinging onto him for dear life.

"hey, hey it's okay, everything's fine." He tried to calm her, gently rubbing the small of her back and hoping this wouldn't end up weird like when she bought him those boots.

Grabbing her elbows Hyde managed to pry her off him with a gentle push, only for her to start touching his face.

She was looking at him like he was freaking baby Jesus or some shit and honestly it was starting to freak him out.

Jackie was at a loss, her eyes scanning over every inch of him, the small scar on his chin, the slightly cause skin of his cheeks, the wrinkle of his brow, the brilliant blue of his eyes. She could hear him speaking to her, but the words didn't seem to make sense, all she knew was that his lips were moving, those beautiful lips that she remembers kissing, that voice that could make her cry or smile, or squirm in lap.

God how she missed his voice.

Steven was here, and Jackie wasn't sure if she should cry, scream, or just hold him to make sure he never went away again.

"You're here… you're really here."

"Jackie man your freaking the crap out of me! What's going on? Did you take something? Pill's? bad 'shrooms?"

The warm, annoyed concern in his voice snapped her back to the fact she just had a break down all over him. It hit her then, this wasn't her Steven, this Steven had never loved her, never hated her… never drank himself to death like a selfish asshole.

"Sorry… sorry. I just, I heard… someone said… I thought, but…" she wasn't sure how she was meant to explain it, he looked so much younger, so alive. She still had a fist full of his shirt, scared to let go of him just in case he disappeared, but she still needed to explain to him why she was such a mess "… I needed… just some pills…"

Hyde let out a sigh of relief, a bad trip was something he could deal with, something he could handle; for a second there he was scared someone had died or something.

Freaking cheerleader scaring the crap out of him!

It was that moment that the basement door flew open, a skinny rake of a boy walking in, mumbling to himself until he sees the unlikely pair in his basement that had been flooded with an unfamiliar tension.

Eric's eyes darted between the two and he raised a questioning brow to ask what was going on but didn't get a chance as Jackie threw herself into his arms with a large lungful of relief "Oh Eric, thank god!"

Her arms wound tightly around his neck, standing on the tips of her toes as a wave of hope coursed through her, Eric was here, he'd know what to do, even if it got even more screwed up he'd fix it, that's was his thing, after all.

Mess something up, fix it.

Hyde shared a look of confusion with his best friend over Jackie's shoulder, this hug was different to how she'd held him just moments ago; her hands hand been desperate and eyes pleading but the moment she saw Eric everything seemed to shift, and she was now relaxed in his arms.

Like her hugging him was one of the most normal things in the world.

Like it would keep her safe from everything… she'd hugged Hyde like that a few times, usually thanks to some screwup of Kelso's.

Was this hug an indication that her little crush had moved onto Forman or was it the effects of whatever was pumping through her system?

Not that Hyde really cared… obviously.

"…Eric, everything just got so strange and I didn't know what to do and I was scared and alone, I mean my dad was there, but you know, useless, and I didn't know where else to go."

Hyde realized then that she'd started blubbering on the second she started hanging off Forman, Eric just nodded, looking very lost and a touch scared before smiling "Okay… now, hum, what's going on?"

"She's just on a bad trip, man." Grabbing at her shoulders Hyde gently moved her to the far end on the sofa, closest to his seat. Taking a knee, he searched her eyes, pulling her cheek down slightly with the pad of his thumb to get a better look "Okay, doll, what did you take and how much?"

"Um…" she couldn't seem to focus because now he was touching her, god she hadn't felt his touch for so long… even before… wait right, she's high, okay "some pills… I don't know, Kat Peterson gave them to me."

Hyde's face fell, he knew Kat, girl was all butter wouldn't melt around her rich friends but in the shadows, she was a freak! Which is fine until she starts handing shit out like lollipops to squares like Jackie "Seriously? She could have given you anything."

"Same could be said for you there, buddy." Eric smiled at his own lewd joke; trying to get rid of the heavy setting.

"Get bent Forman! Stay with her I'm just going to get her something to drink…"

Jackie grabbed onto his hand like a vice, but Hyde was calm, sweetly brushing back her hair and looked her dead in the eye as he spoke "it's okay, doll, everything's fine, just wait here with Forman okay? He's going to look after you for a sec."

He spoke like he was trying to reassure a child, a very stoned child, as Eric squeaked "I am?"

Earning him a glare from Hyde that forced Eric to chuckle nervously "I am! I mean yeah, I've got you, Jackie… you're… totally okay."

Hyde knew how a bad trip could screw with you and he figured this was more than likely Jackie's first, they had to just watch her and made sure her stupid cheerleader brain didn't start leaking out of her nose or something.

Her eyes were glued to Steven's boots as he took the stairs two at a time out of the basement. She could feel her heart smacking ferociously against her chest plate, this was all just so… real…

She was grateful she'd remembered all that gossip about how Kat had got busted by her parents for all the drugs and stuff she did, which Steven had once confirmed to her was true. That hadn't happened yet though, Kat hadn't been shipped off to some fancy private school/rehab, not yet anyway.

Rationally she knew this had to be some sort of delusion, I mean for gods sake she was in a car crash. Oh god her hair probably looked awful in the real world, all tangled and sticky with blood.

She felt like she might be sick at the idea.

Focus, Jackie, focus. Car crash plus head injury equals life like hallucinations.

But she could smell him, touch him, watch him breathe and blink and just be fucking alive!

"Eric…"

He looked like a deer caught in headlights, funny considering that's what got her into this mess "What?"

"Am I dead? …I just, I don't know what's happening. This is crazy!"

"Jackie, you're okay… you're in my basement, I don't know why, but you're in my basement and you're fine."

She watched his eyes, this Eric couldn't read her like one of his precious comics, he couldn't fix her with a look and know exactly how to make it all better.

This Eric Forman wasn't her friend.

It would have broken her heart… would have, except he had this worried look in his eye she knew so well.

He'd always had that, that caring streak, that compassion for everyone around him, even the annoying girl he couldn't quite stand. That's one of the things she'd always found so special about him.

Eric cared about her, even now.

Her head fell against this chest as she smiled sadly, because he didn't just wrap his arms around her, squeeze her slightly, no this Eric didn't know what to do, so fidgeting awkwardly he ended up patting her on the head "There, there. Good Jackie."

She couldn't help but laugh, a small giggle.

Eric Forman. Her hero.

While all this was happening, Hyde was making a sandwich with some of the leftovers from breakfast, Jackie had to eat something, food usually helped… also he was pretty hungry.

It was strange, she didn't seem high or trippy, she seemed more freaked out, confused and scared shitless. But there was no other explanation for her behaviour, yeah sure ever since he took the wrap for that pot she's been kind of clingy, but the way she was looking at him…

He'd never seen real fear in her before, all mixed up with stuff he didn't know but still.

It was unnerving, not that he actually cared or anything, but he'd seen his mom and his 'uncles' go through enough bad trips to know it could get ugly.

"Hey. Eric around?"

Hyde gave a brief nod to the tall redhead as she closed the kitchen door then went back to the sandwich "He's downstairs with Jackie."

Donna offered him a crinkled brow of confusion "Jackie's here? She said had some cheerleader thing today…"

"I don't know about cheerleading, but I do know she showed up here tripping like a pro. I mean who the hell would give that chick anything stronger than a hit of weed?" he could hear the anger in his own voice.

It's not because he cared or anything it's just that now he'd end up spending the day looking after some stupid girl who didn't even know what was coursing through her veins.

Man, it was going to be a long day.

"Jackie? Jackie Burkhart? God, I have to see this!" Donna's face split into a grin at the prospect of seeing the cheerleader in the mist of loosing her unicorn addled mind.

Normally Hyde would be following Donna's lead, hell he'd usually have bought the first ticket to the show, but she hadn't seen her… it was just different.

"Donna man, leave it alone, alright? We can burn her about it later, but right now if you stay, you stuck looking after the ice princess, like the rest of us!" he shoved an empty glass into the girl's hands and she just gave him this look, a quirk of her brow and a slow nod "um, okay… so she's pretty messed up?"

"I guess." Donna bit into her lip feeling kind of bad for wanting see Jackie messed up, if Hyde was worried about her, admitting it or not, Donna knew it wasn't the time to poke the bear.

So, she just grasped a root beer out of the fridge and started pouring it into the glass.

The basement was pretty quiet when they got down there, except for TV Eric had turned on, trying to break up the strange silence. He and Jackie were sat on opposite sides of the sofa, Eric looking awkward as hell, but Jackie seemed relatively calm, curled up in the corner, almost zen in comparison to the mess Hyde had left down there.

"Here, eat this." Hyde dropped her plate into her lap and took his usual seat, taking a bite out of his own sandwich.

"Thanks." Jackie didn't even take a questionable sniff or make some bitchy comment.

"yeah, whatever." Hyde mumbled around a mouthful of food, sneaking a glance through his aviators to see the strange sad little smile on the brunette's face as she took a bite of the sandwich.

Jackie was grateful for the sandwich, she didn't realize how hungry she was until Steven had dropped it into her lap, hallucination or not she hadn't eaten since that morning, the real morning… before her brain had malfunctioned on her and she woke up in bizaro-dream-land.

"Hey, Jackie, you okay?" Donna had waited by the stairs, wanting to see how bad her friend actually was tripping, she seemed okay; but then Donna had spoken, and Jackie's head whipped around like a spooked cat.

Jackie looked at her, Donna, red hair and all… she hadn't spoken to Donna since the screaming match at Hyde's apartment, it was freaky, but that seemed to be the theme of the day "I got you a root beer."

Jackie took the glass, eyeing it questionable "I'm guessing the arsenic is to add flavour?"

The redhead recoiled slightly, both boys staring at Jackie, because hey, that bitchy comment was meant for Hyde… right?

"Jackie, what the hell?" A wash of guilt hit her when she saw the shock in Donna's eyes, eyes that hadn't hardened at the sight of Jackie, that lacked that edge of hate she's grown used to…

Jackie ducked her head slightly, needing to get out from under everyone gaze. I know, Jackie Burkhart not wanting to be centre of attention, who'd have thought?

"Yeah, sorry, just… sorry."

"Donna, don't worry about it to much, she's been acting nuts since she got here, like before, she said she was glad I'm here, straight face and everything and I'm not going to lie… it frightened me." Eric gave the redhead one his goofy smiles, god it had been so long since she'd seen him smile like that.

Jackie watched her 'friend' sit down and eye her a little wearily, she couldn't help it, Donna had ripped their friendship into confetti, she become some sort of bitch-monster now here she was like nothing had ever happened.

… because nothing had ever happened.

As the day went on everyone kept sort of staring at Jackie and she was kind of staring back because this was some fucked up time warp she couldn't grasp.

Her quietness seemed to throw everyone off; she just sat in the corner like she was waiting for something to happen.

I think it's how quiet she was is what threw everyone off, she just sat in the corner, like she was waiting for something to happen.

When Kelso came down the basement stairs, bragging about how he got Laurie to do it on the water tower; everyone had expected Jackie to go a little nuts but she just sat there a different smile on her face. In her mind this was funny as hell… she knew Michael enough to know he wasn't thinking as he spoke and sure she remembered how much he'd hurt her with Laurie, but that was so long ago; it was a dull ache in the beautiful memory of their relationship.

She just couldn't help but be happy to see him, relaxed with a fond smile.

While everyone was looking at her like she was crazy, except Hyde, he seemed almost proud.

She was Zen, man… mostly because if she wasn't then she'd probably have driven herself nuts trying to tell everyone she was in a car crash in 1983 where Donna's a bitch, Michael's a Dad and Stevens dead!

She hadn't seen Fez that day, she was hoping she would before she woke up from her coma. Yeah, she almost firmly believed she was in a coma at this point.

She had to tell herself something!

It was later that night, with a stomach full of Kitty's sausage casserole, and the moonlight blanketing the Forman's patio and Jackie was a touch more certain of her own mind; provided she wasn't completely losing it anyway.

"are you sure you're okay to drive, you still seem a little spaced?" Donna was sweet, Jackie didn't know how to handle that, it'd been a very long time since Donna had worried about her. Jackie tried to remember the last time… was it before Chicago? Before Eric left?

"Um, I'm good thanks."

"Yeah, Jackie I mean, you're not even wearing any makeup, in like _public_!" Kelso had blurted out and was still in deep shock about that little detail.

Jackie leaned against the hood of her car, arms folding with a eyeroll at her ex's little comment "Michael we've been over this, makeup is a beautiful girl's highlighter and an ugly girl's mask. Thankfully my beauty is naturally highlighted anyway."

"There she is! The conceited annoyance we all, for some strange reason, put up with." There was no malice in Hyde's voice, he was smiling at her, playful and teasing like she remembered… she was starting to wonder if those memories where dreams, but then this was a dream… maybe.

God this is confusing!

Not to mention terrifyingly insane!

"I should get home. Thank you, all of you for taking care of me today."

"Sure you don't want a ride?" she kissed Eric's cheek in answer, shaking her head lightly "you're sweet, but I'm okay."

Donna hugged her before Jackie had a chance to pass her, it was awkward and pretty awful and Jackie actually felt bad about wanting to shove the girl off. Kelso smiled at her as she passed him to stand in front of Hyde, leaning into kiss his cheek much like she had Eric's but she lingered, enjoying the feeling of her lips on his warm skin.

She investigated his eyes, through those stupid beloved sunglasses and smiled at what she saw "Thank you Steven."

"It's cool."

She bit back a sob at that, his Zen was in play, perfectly aloof and she didn't want to go, she wanted to crawl into his arms and his warmth and listen to him go on and on about some conspiracy theory or a new song he was into.

She couldn't though.

This maybe her dream, but even this various of him wouldn't have allowed that… that came later, or before. Oh, forget it.

They watched her taillights as she headed out, Donna scowling slightly "is it just me or did that trip seriously mess her up?"

"Yeah, she didn't even glare at me once… hey maybe she wants to get back together!" Kelso's hopeful tone was shot down by Hyde frogging him in the arm.

"She had a bad trip, not a brain transplant!"

Hyde wasn't sure why the idea pissed him off so much, he just didn't like the cheating, had watched his dad do a lot of that to his mom, no one deserved that crap. That's one of the reason's he was always trying to get Kelso caught, plus it was funny as hell.

"Well I'm just happy this day is over… quiet Jackie is freakier than the Omen and now my house needs an exorcism. Mom, call Pastor Dave!" Eric half joked as he headed back into the house.

Yep, it had been a strange day.

What wasn't strange was Jackie arriving to an empty house, well it was because she hadn't really lived alone in years, first Donna, then Fez, and Eric, but growing up with her parents had been another story.

The house was deserted, her parents' god knows where and all the servants having gone home for the night. As she made her way up the stair case Jackie realized she hated this house, the echo-y halls and unused rooms. She wished Michael had burned it to the ground that day he'd ruined her party.

Opening her bedroom door, she couldn't help but hate that too, it was like a time-capsule. Things and dreams she'd thrown away years ago. If she hadn't been so tired she might have started ripping things off the walls and trashing the place.

Instead she kicked off her shoes, shrugged out of her clothes and fell against the welcoming cool of her old sheets.

Earlier that day she made a pact with herself, while she watched Steven and Michael fight over something stupid while Donna and Eric cuddled up and laughed at them.

She's enjoy that day.

Even if it wasn't real, even if it was some cosmic trick. She'd enjoy it; and she did.

She watched some of the people she loved most in a time from before they were cruel, angry, hard or cold.

She watched them, and it broke her heart because it couldn't be true, it was a beautiful memory her dying mind had conjured to comfort her.

But what if it wasn't, what if it was real?

What if somehow, her fairy godmother had been watching over her and given her a chance, it's a beautiful thought.

She just couldn't believe it, Jackie Burkhart didn't believe in magic and fairy tales anymore.

However, as her eyes got heavy, exhaustion taking hold she remembered her pact; she'd enjoy that day and if by some miracle by the time morning came she didn't wake up in a hospital room or a morgue but again in that room, in a world before everything fell into ash and dirt, a world where HE was, then she'd believe.

She'd believe, and she'd fix it.

Fix everything, she could.

But beliefs for tomorrow…

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Miss Jackie, time for breakfast!"

Shooting up in the same bed she fell asleep in, the same room she once loved, the poor little rich girl sat in awe.

"Well…. Fuck me!"


	3. Chapter 3

Jackie's feet hit the plush carpet hard, her restless fingers reaching for the phone; the very first thing she did was ring the Forman's, pacing with a hollow ache in the pit of her stomach.

What if she'd just thought she heard Daniella that morning, what if she'd just wondered back to her old house after the crash, what if he wasn't…

"Hello?"

Kitty's tender, chipper tone was a welcomed gift "is Steven there?"

"Um, no I'm sorry honey, he spent last night at his father's, but he should be by later, do you want me to pass on a message?"

Kitty had always had trouble with Steven moving in with Bud, even though he still spent the odd night in the basement. He was her boy; his home was with them, so she couldn't bring herself to call Bud's Steven's home.

Maybe she knew, knew that he'd let Steven down again.

Leave him again.

"No, no that's okay Mrs Forman, I'll just see him later… thanks."

"You're very welcome dear. Bye now."

"Bye."

Jackie smiled into the dial tone before sucking in a breath of perfumed air.

Clutching the phone to her chest Jackie prayed a little thank you to her Fairy Godmother.

He was okay.

He was out there.

Alive.

So, with a renewed vigour she finally got up, ready to get started on her plans… because she was pretty sure that changing the future required planning if she was going off any of that sci-fi stuff Eric was into.

She managed to find an outfit she didn't completely hate, did her makeup and hair to perfection, because hey, car wrecks, time travel and your ex-boyfriend suddenly not being a corpse could all really mess with a girl's beauty sleep.

Not that Jackie needed it, of course.

Just as she was about to sit down with a pen and paper, with no idea what she was going to write, Daniella barged in with a look of unwavering resolve; so, with Daniella's insistence because she missed breakfast yesterday, Jackie sat at the overly large dining table with her parents, pushing her eggs around her plate as she watched them. It was weird!

I mean they were sitting there like they didn't have a care in the world, her father reading the paper as her mother tucked into a grapefruit and taking small sips of her mimosa. Jackie remembered how she used to yearn for these moments, to have her parents in the same room and just be with her.

Now she was wondering how bad it would look to make a run for the door.

Sighing into the nagging silence Jackie reached for the small plate of bacon in the centre of the table only to hear her mother's shrill tone of disapproval "ohm, honey, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I want bacon."

Pam smiled, her usual sickly-sweet dazzling smile that was used the mask the poison spewing from her mouth "but do you really need it?"

At her mother's condescending tone Jackie shoved the entire strip into her mouth and smiled, speaking as she chewed "Yes!"

"Jackie, that's no way for a lady to behave, especially a Burkhart lady! Jack, do something!" Pam was clearly disgusted by the display, Jack however didn't seem to care as he idly flipped through his paper; not even bothering to look up as he spoke "Kitten, listen to your mother."

Pam gave a triumphant smile, knowing that her teenage daughter was prone to do whatever her father deemed fit, craving his approval and love… but Jackie wasn't really that desperate girl anymore, so she just smiled, standing to her feet as she grabbed the bowl of bacon and shovelled all it into her mouth.

Now this seemed to catch her father's attention, both her parents watching her slack jawed as she smiled around a mouth full of food "mmm Ba-con!"

She didn't stick around to hear whatever it was they were going to say, her mother's outrage, her father's annoyance. Honestly, she remembered when she'd have done anything for their approval, but after spending years watching Kitty Forman dote on her children, even ones that weren't her own, praising and loving them, and seeing how Red took the time to scream and yell and try and make them learn a lesson, trying to toughen them up for the big bad world: Jackie decided her parents could stick it!

Jackie knew better now, knew that shiny expensive gifts didn't make up for empty seats at ballet recitals or sending your assistant to parent teacher night!

She'd spent years squirming under her mother's judgemental gaze, she was never pretty or slim or as 'Pam' enough as she could be.

And Jack had no idea who his daughter was, yes, he loved her, showered her with gifts, would do anything for her; except spare his time that is.

After she left her house Jackie just drove and somehow seemed to have parked near the Forman's, she didn't dare go in, didn't even get out of the car. No, she just sat there for a bit watching Steven and Eric play a little one on one; the sight made her heart swell.

Her boys…

She'd spent the last hour just driving around, she needed to figure out what she was going to do, some sort of strategy.

She realized her life, the one she'd left in 1983 wasn't really worth thinking about, the only things there for her to actually miss were Eric and his parents, and maybe school but Jackie knew she could get them back.

Yeah it sucked that right now Eric could barely stand her, but if they could get past everything once then they could do it again.

Right?

She just had to love this version the way she loved her own, show him the person he gave up his precious Donna for; she could do that.

Because she needed him, needed that skinny boy to love her and hold her and make some stupid joke that somehow made it all better.

Jackie figured not snapping at Donna was going to be a challenge, trying not to look at her and see all the things she hadn't don't yet; betraying Jackie, hurting Eric.

It was going to be hard to not hate her… bitch.

The part with Steven is what that scared her most.

Donna's words flooded her mind when she saw him, he drank himself into an early grave because of her, loving her, hating her.

Jackie wanted more than anything in the world to just run up to him, kiss him, maybe wait to recreate veteran's day like she had so many times in her head. Telling him how much that kiss had truly affected her, how all those feeling knocked her off her Prada pumps and scared her into denial-land.

She remembered, once when they lay on his cot, warm and safe, him telling her how that kiss had changed things for him, he'd started to want her, then it got worse, until he reluctantly admitted to himself he liked the annoying-ABBA-loving pest.

If she'd have been honest then, maybe he would've too.

They'd have been together, had more time.

But that was just to selfish… it was all she wanted in the world, but she couldn't do that to him again, hurting each other over and over until…

His death had destroyed her… she could live with his hate, even his indifference. At one time it was more pain than she thought she could have ever managed to bare, but seeing him, lying cold and still and gone, in a suit, they tried to bury him in a fucking suit!

He'd have hated that!

Kelso was the one that put his glasses on, almost like that would somehow wake him up and have him laughing in their faces at the most perfect burn ever accomplished.

But that didn't happen.

Jackie realized in that moment that it would be selfish no matter what she did. She could rob both of them of all the beautiful moments they had, that deep connection that had ripped them both to shreds, or she could drag him back down that road so easily, but history repeats right?

He'd be gone.

She'd never survive it.

Not again.

Either way she'd lose him.

She didn't know what to do, so she did the only thing that made sense…

"That'll be $35.50 please."

Jackie smiled as she paid the cashier and grabbing her bags; nothing like a little retail therapy.

She was pretty grateful for the savings bond her grandparents set up, it was just a few hundred dollars, but it was enough to hold her over until she got a job because like hell was she touching a penny from her father.

Over those years she'd learned the value of a dollar, like how much more she liked that dollar when it was and had always been hers, not having to ask for anything because she damn well earned every cent.

It made her feel powerful and she liked it.

What she didn't like was how overly soft her clothes felt, all that expensive fabric was starting to make her itch. Rationally she knew it was crazy, I mean it was Cashmere for god's sake!

The sweater felt like it was to tight, which was ridiculous, but she was suffocating in it.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a grungy little store, it wasn't a store that Jackie of 77' would have even glanced at, it had band posters and rock stuff messily displayed in the window.

Jackie 83' however was drawn it the store like a moth to a flame.

There was a large rack of t-shirts, categorized only by the band names that had been scribbled onto some paper and pinned to each clothing rale.

She blindly grabbed at a familiar Zeppelin shirt, the cotton blend felt a little rough under her soft fingers.

Comforting.

"You lost?"

Jackie turned on her heel to see a girl just taller than herself, what was left of her buzzed off hair was brown, a giant rose tattoo gliding down her left shoulder and a the most perfect makeup Jackie had ever seen besides her own, soft pinks and creams, she also wore a name tag pinned where her nipple supposedly was.

"Yes, actually…" Jackie leaned only slightly to read the name tag "Teddy, I need a few new shirts… you'd never believe what happened to my old ones."

Teddy's sceptical hazel eyes laugh while scanning over the cheerleader "Yeah we don't exactly do Captain and Tennille here, try the store two floors down, seems like it would be more your scene… Princess."

Jackie's arms folded over her chest, smiling her best bitchy smile "Wow, so you're one of those… how awful for you."

"What are you talking about?" the punk girl was clearly confused and if she wasn't working would have probably bruised up Jackie's pretty face "you're a bigot."

"ex-fucking-cuse me?" now Teddy stood hands on hips. Looking truly offended as Jackie just carried on speaking and rifling through the shirts, picking out a few as she spoke "I just think it's so sad, you know, I mean this is the 70's for gods sake, yet people still shove everything into a box. Like you, if I were like you, you know, prejudiced." The girl's nostril's flared in rage as she was thoroughly burned by the cheerleader "I'd peg you as an uncivilised angry lesbian with severe daddy issues. Thankfully me and my purse are a little more open minded."

Jackie was waiting for the rage, the bitchy comment, she did not expect the girl's almost manic laughter as she nodded her head "okay, I guess I deserve that."

"Well you shouldn't judge a book by its perfectly wrapped cover!"

Teddy eyed the girl with mild awestruck awe "I guess I just see cashmere, I think… bitch."

"I'm Jackie Burkhart, bitch is on my birth certificate; that doesn't mean I have to be a cliched bitch."

"so, _'Princess'_ how can I help you?"

Jackie gave the girl her best smile, enjoying the rush of clearly winning over the stranger.

I mean come on, she's Jackie Burkhart. She liked to win at everything so… yeah.

Our little brunette was feeling a lot more relaxed after her little spree, she was wondering where to head next, food maybe? Oh, maybe a pedicure!

"Jackie!"

With a whip of her hair Jackie stood wide eyed at the joy filled eyes that greeted her "Fez?"

The boy skipped up to her and Jackie wasn't sure what she was meant to do, she was meant to see him later… when she had a plan!

"A little Sunday delight I see!" he had his hands on his hips, eyeing her bags with a small nod of approval before meeting her gaze.

These eyes had never shed tears over her.

Never looked at her with awkward estrangement.

Never seen her naked… well as far as she new because yeah, this is Fez we're talking about.

"Give bags to Fez."

She was broken from her little trance and smiled "Fez you don't have to, I was actually thinking of…"

"I said, give bags to Fez!" he was relentless and stubborn, waiting with expectant hands and a look of adoration.

God didn't even realize how much she'd missed him.

Handing over the various shopping bags Fez lifted his chin with a look of pride "where to my goddess."

"The beauty parlour."

His face lit up like a Christmas tree as her arm linked his "Ai, good. Many pretty ladies and their magnificent mockatons for Fez to woo!"

Jackie bubbled up a laugh, her chest warming at the old comfort she found in the boy.

The rest of her day had been a wash of small indulgences she hadn't had in years, yeah sure she and Eric would shop but he mostly came for the candy and to have Jackie choose out some outfits, Fez had always had a keen sense of style and knew what colours highlighted her best.

She'd really missed that little pervert.

Hours later, as the sun was falling out of the sky, they walked into the basement with her haul while Fez seemed more than a little confused with the information he'd just received "but why? How could this happen to my beautiful goddess?"

"Wait, what's happened? Tell me!" Kelso jumped gleefully off the freezer while the wind was almost knocked out of Jackie when she saw Hyde, sat in his chair, shades in place and ignoring the commotion for the tv "Hey, pipe down, Three's Company's on."

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as Kelso waited, impatiently tapping his foot "Well? Come on guys tell me what happened!"

"Yeah, did our poor little Jackie get into the pill cabinet again?" Eric mocked her from the sofa, his arm slung around the back of his girlfriend.

"Nothing happened, Fez is just overreacting." Jackie took a seat in the lawn chair, kicking her heels away from her aching feet.

Spending money was demanding work.

"Overreacting? For goodness sake woman you're getting a _job_! This is an underreaction, my perfect princess will be working, with people, it's unholy I say!"

"Fez come on…"

"Good day!"

"Fezzie…"

"I said good day!" with that the foreign boy stormed out with a shaking slam of the basement door.

Jackie laughed low in her chest.

Fez storming off, another thing she'd missed.

Turning back to the others she noticed all eye's in the room staring bug-eyed at her "What?"

"You want a job?" Donna looked at her like she'd shaved her head and talked to her condescending way that Jackie certainly didn't miss.

"What did you get summoned back to Hell?" Jackie's glare at the redhead was dampened by her boyfriend's joke as she shrugged "my throne was getting cold, and I'm dragging your skinny, twitchy ass with me! You can rub my feet…"

Eric gave good foot rubs, he's give her them when she'd had a particularly crappy day, letting her rabble and whine, nodding along and giving her advise that usually had her throwing cushions at him.

"Burn!" Kelso smiled that stupid dopy Kelso smile.

"Wait, why the hell would you want a job? Your dad's like the richest guy in town." Hyde was leaning forward, Three's Company forgotten, with hand clasped together over his knees.

"It just seemed like time, I mean people get jobs right and I can't just live off my Daddy's money forever" What was she meant to say, 'yeah I cant take my dad's money because I don't know if its from the mouth of someone who actually needs it and it makes me want feel guilty!'

Being a good person kind of sucked.

Jackie blamed the Formans' and the years of exposure to their moral influences.

"To be fair Jackie you used to tell me all the time 'I'm going to live off my dad's money until I find a rich husband to take care of me.' So…" Kelso just gave her a dopey look as he snatched a bag of pretzels out of Eric's lap.

"Yeah well that was a long time ago Michael, I was clearly misguided, I mean I was dating you!"

"Burn!" Hyde's low chuckle and nod of approval made her chest tighten.

"Jackie!" Kelso fixed her with an offended look, for about two second "Okay, okay good burn."

"Yeah, people get jobs, but you? Don't your people just cry when they want stuff or stamp their foot and it appears?" Jackie couldn't help it, if it had been anyone else in the room she knew it wouldn't have bothered her, but it was her _'best friend'_ so yeah, Jackie sneered "believe it or not Donna but you're not the only girl in the world who actually wants to be successful, just because you shove it in peoples' faces all the time doesn't make you some soul warrior, so get over yourself!"

"Burn, damn Jackie you're on fire tonight!" Kelso was clearly enjoying the show while Eric tried not to laugh at his girlfriend's obvious shock at being told off by the cheerleader.

Hyde was just sitting back in his chair, a small smile on his face.

Like a light flickering to life over her head Jackie clapped giddily "Oh I got you guys some presents."

"Presents? oh, is this like that time you said you were giving some stuff to Goodwill then just dumped a bunch of clothes at Donna's… because I gotta say Jackie, that pink sweater vest still gives me nightmares." Eric was smiling, moving to sit on the back of the sofa, cocooning a flushed and embarrassed Donna between his knees.

"Actually, Fez has that." Kelso chipped in absently.

The brunette moved to riffle through her bags "it's just a little thank you for taking such good care of me yesterday."

First was Donna, mostly because she _had_ helped yesterday, kept asking if Jackie was okay, if she could do anything; her high and mighty attitude aside, and Jackie Burkhart would never be called ungrateful.

Spoiled, sure. Vain and bossy, totally but never ungrateful.

Donna gave the store wrapped gift a sceptical glance, tearing off the paper to reveal only half of the gift "make-up." Donna nodded, clearly not impressed "Thanks Jackie."

"You're welcome, oh and don't worry I got you an Autumn pallet, because honestly Donna you have to stop trying to pull off summer colours. They make you look blotchy!"

Michael shoved past Donna, jumping around like a five-year-old "Me next! Me next!"

She presented her ex with a small box "Oh! A slinky!"

"Wow thanks Jackie!" Snatching it from her Kelso gave her a tight hug before rushing out to try his new toy.

Turning to Eric he fixed her with his smartass smile "let me guess, an angry scorpion?"

She handed him the neatly wrapped box, watching his face intently as he ripped the brightly coloured paper. Eric looked at the box in complete shock before offering Jackie the same look of awe "G.I Joe Man of Action with life like hair!"

"I wasn't sure if you'd have it but the lady at the store said it was the latest so…"

"Wow, Jackie, thanks. Seriously… thank you."

There it was, that goofy, childish smile.

Jackie was half tempted to staple his face that way.

"You're welcome. And finally…" Jackie delved into one of the bags she brought from Teddy, Hyde's gift was wrapped in newspaper because Teddy told her they didn't gift wrap and it was all she had to hand.

Despite her appalling fashion sense, she was pretty nice, even gave Jackie a few eyeliner tips.

Hyde eyed the gift like it was about to bite him, setting it on the table "thanks, but no thanks."

"What?" Jackie's face fell hard.

"Look man, I don't know what your play is here, but I'm not Kelso, you can't buy me." She watched him stand, that ache in her chest.

"Steven…"

"Look save it, okay, I don't know what's going on with you, this creepy crush you have on me just because I felt bad for you is getting old and now this lame ass 'thank you' stuff, it's all bullshit. So just cut the crap!" he said all this without looking at her, instead riffling through the freezer and hoping Kelso hadn't eaten the last cherry popsicle.

A fresh box.

Victory!

When he turned back it was like being punched straight in the teeth. Those annoyingly adoring big brown eyes were staring straight at him, glazed over and shiny with unshed tears, teeth gnawing away at her bottom lip.

Crap.

"I just wanted to do something nice…" she barely managed to get the words out as she ran for the door, shopping bags forgotten.

She made it to the Forman's garage before the flood gates opened.

It wasn't his words that hurt her, made her want to rush out of the basement like her hair was on fire. No, it was his tone. The same tone he'd used during those last few years, to cut her down, to hurt her, frankly it would have been kinder to just kick her in the face… okay…maybe not the face but still.

Fuck this was so hard!

"Jackie?"

Turning towards the darkened street Jackie tried to stifle a sob and gently rub the corners of her eyes to fix any tear smudged make up "Hey Mr Forman."

Red stiffened, hearing the strain in her voice "Oh god, what did the idiot do this time? Hang on, I'll get Kitty!"

She turned with a shake of her head, swallowing around the lump in her throat "No, no thanks Mr Forman. It's fine. I'm fine."

He shifted uncomfortably, he was Red Forman for gods sake, he survived war and having dumbass kids, but a crying woman…Well what man was equipped for that?

"Right. Good." He was just going to come out a tweak with the Toyota, maybe have a beer.

She was just stood there for a second and then he noticed she was actually going to leave, no sob story or whining.

He felt bad for the girl.

"Um, hey why don't you give me a hand with the Toyota, you can hold the flashlight."

a wave of relief washed over him at her cheek-splitting grin before she tried to compose herself "I'd like that."

"Great. But no girly-feeling Crap!"

"Whatever you say Mr Forman." She instantly felt calmed as he popped the hood, this was her Zen, well this and the Mall.

Just as she shone the touch into the mass of metal she looked to the man that had been better to her than her own father "um, Mr Forman…"

"What?"

"Did you know your water pump's leaking?"

Back in the basement Donna was glaring at her childhood friend, arms folded across her chest "Nice work Hyde."

"What? Oh, I didn't want her crappy gift so I'm the bad guy?" groaned from his chair.

Eric was fingering at the G.I Joe box and nodded "actually, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but yeah!"

Hyde fell into his seat and threw his feet on the table "Oh, come on. This is Jackie we're talking about!"

"I don't know man, she seemed like, genuinely upset." The words felt strange even to Eric's own ears, I mean he was defending Jackie, aka Satan, for goodness sake.

Donna stood with a shake of her head "I can't believe you, I mean yeah, Jackie's been kind of spaced since yesterday, but she actually does something nice and not completely selfish for once and you throw it back in her face!"

"Exactly, why the hell would Jackie freaking Burkhart do that, huh? She has an angle man, chicks like her always do." Hyde ripped the wrapper off his popsicle, ignoring the way Jackie's teary eyes were burned into his head.

He headed seeing chicks cry.

Seeing her cry.

"Wow, Hyde I didn't know you could be such an asshole!" Donna was glaring pure rage because yeah, Jackie was abrasive and mean and selfish, but she wasn't all bad.

She listened when she and Eric had problems, gave her advice.

Jackie could be pretty cool sometimes.

God had she just thought that?

Whatever, Hyde was an ass!

"Donna, man, come on." Our rebel watched as Donna quickly stormed up the stairs stopping for only a second to shout back "Dillhole!"

With a shake of his head, feeling the sticky cherry starting to drip onto his thumb, Hyde was faced with the judgmental eyes of his best friend.

"Oh, come on Forman, not you too!"

Eric just held up the action figure and frowned "look at this, the devil got me a gift, with life like hair! And this might be me going into shock or having just sold my soul for a G.I Joe but I really think she was just trying at the whole being nice thing, man."

Eric gathered Jackie's bag's, hoping to leave them at Donna's for her, before fixing Hyde with a stink eye "I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Man, it's not like I knew she was going to start getting all weepy and crap is it?"

"no, but you made me defend the devil Hyde, THE DEVIL!"

*SLAM*

When Eric reached the back yard, heading for Donna's house he was surprised to see her stand wide eyed on his porch "Donna…"

But before he could pass over the bags and agree Hyde was an ass the burly redhead twirled him towards the garage.

What. The. Holy. Skywalker?

Jackie was half covered in grease, hair and sleeves pulled up while elbow deep in his dad's engine.

"Well that should hold for now, but I'd hold off on driving unless you have to until you can get a new pump."

"God bless you, Jackie." Red smiled at the girl, handing her a rag to clean off.

Red was smiling.

Like, actually really smiling!

The couple stood in shock at the scene even as Red walked over to them, that smiling falling far off his face as he leaned in with his usual annoyed, angry stare "That girls the only one of you idiots that isn't completely useless, so I don't know which one of you dumbass's upset her, but fix it! Or your going to extra upset when I shove my foot up your ass!"

"Hey, I should be getting home." Jackie seemed to sneak behind him and offered them a half-hearted smile.

It was nice, working with Red, it helped her, grounded her.

She didn't even care that she had motor oil under her finger nails.

"Well Jackie, thanks for your help."

"Anytime Mr Forman."

Eric and Donna where just blinking at her as Red disappeared into the house and Jackie reached for her bags "Thanks."

"Um, Jackie, since when do you know about car's?"

The brunette just shrugged at Donna's question "there's a lot you guys don't know about me. Okay, I'm going now."

"Wait Jackie, about Hyde…"

She just raised her hand to stop them, both looking guilty about their friend's harsh behaviour.

"It's fine guys, really. I mean, was Steven a complete jerk, yes, but I have been acting kind of crazy lately… so whatever, all I want now is a hot shower and some food." She gave them her best smile, it was hurting her face.

"So, I can stop feeling crappy now?" her smile was smaller, real as she nodded to Eric "yes, besides it's not like you were an ungrateful jackass to me was it?"

Eric wiped the non-existent sweat off his brow, clearly relieved "well thank god for that."

"You're sure you're okay?" there it was again, Donna caring.

It made Jackie shudder… "I'm Jackie Burkhart. I'm perfect, duh."

They watched her walk off, head held high, covered in grease and bags in hand, with no idea she was going back to an empty house, tear stained pillow and memories of a life they'd never lived "is it just me or are things getting like, seriously weird around here?"

Donna offered him a quick nod "Oh yeah."

"thought so."

All this while Hyde was left alone in the basement with his popsicle half melted and Jackie's unopened gift screaming at him.

"Damn it."

Throwing the popsicle in the trash he tore into the newspaper.

His jaw slacked.

Staring at the jacket, yep, a denim jacket that just happened to have the Zeppelin angel and band name sown into the back.

Well fuck.

Yep, he was an asshole.


	4. Chapter 4

Jackie didn't go the Forman's the next day, she could barely even manage to get out of bed.

She wasn't angry.

She wasn't sad.

It was just one of those days, one of the days that like many over the last year that consumed her.

It would be something small, a sudden song on the radio, a flash of blue, a particularly good burn that would have made him proud.

It always seemed to leave her a wreck.

This was no different, that aching hole in her chest was starting to tighten, the skin trying to pull itself back together.

But it _was_ different.

He was out there, living and breathing and just fucking being.

Her heart seemed to have caught up with the mess of the last few days and it was screaming at her.

That morning she'd rang the Forman's just like the morning before but this time it was Hyde who'd answered.

"Hello…"

There he was.

"Hello?"

Her breath caught as she tried to speak, to say anything at all.

"Kelso man is that you? Look it's to damn early for your crap…Kelso? Screw it. Get bent!"

She sat there for a few seconds, or maybe a few minutes just listening to the dial tone.

Blind to the tears rolling down her cheeks.

She didn't go down to breakfast that morning, the idea of having to deal with her parents was too much to bare.

Daniella had tried to lure her down with the promise of pancakes but to no avail.

Instead Jackie sat quietly in her bedroom, wearing frilly pink panties and a Zeppelin shirt mirroring the one Hyde had once given her, waiting for the tell-tale signs of the echoing front door slamming and the faint sound of two cars driving into different directions.

The moment she knew they were gone Jackie felt like she could breath a little easier, unlike the actual Jackie of this time that felt abandoned and afraid.

Getting into the liquor cabinet was easy enough, easier than getting into her mother's private stash anyway. The whiskey burned in a comfortingly familiar way that her younger body couldn't quite handle.

She didn't bother with a glass; the bottle was cool and heavy in her hand as she tore apart the room she spent so many years perfecting.

When she finally stood still, wiping the hair from her face and panting slightly to catch her breath, she looked around at the tattered remains of her treasured teddy bears, ripped up and crumpled posters and years' worth of empty gifts smashed or snapped or torn to ribbons.

She chugged a large gulp of whisky, enjoying the bitter sweet burn and ignoring the lightheaded fog that was starting to sink in.

It was good, familiar.

She'd started drinking whiskey not long after Steven married the whore and her father got out of prison.

Oh yeah, not that he came to see her or anything.

The only reason she even knew he was out was because his lawyer showed up at her door with a letter full of empty, pointless apologies she'd heard so often she memorized them long ago, a plea to come meet him in New Mexico to start over and a check with more zero's than she'd seen in a long time.

That was the first time she went to a bar alone, the fruity cocktails just weren't cutting it, so she decided on whiskey.

That's what people drank in the movie's when everything went to shit.

If it's good enough for Hollywood; it's good enough for Jackie Burkhart.

She took home the bottle and splashed some over the check that she'd crumpled into the ashtray, watching it burn.

He should have come back for her.

Her bottle was half empty when she started shoving clothes into trash bags, her new stuff ready to take its rightful place.

Daniella had tried to come in to clean up the mess, with a sandwich in hand, but Jackie shooed her off, shoving a bag of designer clothes into the maid's hand as she shrugged and slurred "sell them, burn them, I really don't care…"

The bottle was almost empty when she started dancing around to her new Fleetwood Mac album. It reminded her of home, of her and Eric, dancing around their living room high or drunk or just because they could.

She missed him.

"Hello?"

She didn't even remember picking up the phone.

"H-hey… Eric?"

"Jackie, is that you?"

At his confusion she smiled drunkenly to herself, falling back into her sheets "Duh, hey where are you?"

"Um, my house… you know the place your calling."

She couldn't have stifled the high-pitched giggle if she tried "Right, duh, sorry. This is all totally crazy, I mean… wow!"

"Jackie, are you drunk?" his shock was pretty much dripping through the phone.

"Only a lot. It's pretty fun. You want some?"

"I'm good, thanks. Hey, Jackie you know it's like two o'clock in the afternoon, right?"

"really?"

"Yeah!"

"Wow… and I'm still on my first bottle, man this body is weak!"

Her older body had a more familiar relationship with alcohol than this one, that was just annoying.

Stupid teenage tolerance.

"Um, hang on… I'll get Donna."

"NO!"

She didn't want Donna, she could barely look at her, barely be in the same room without getting an itch under her skin.

She hated her.

She missed her.

"I just wanted to talk to you… because you know; You're Eric!" with each word a sad smile tugged at her lips.

"O-Kay… hey is this because of the present thing? Because you know how Hyde is…"

"Is he okay? God I've missed him… he always smells so good, just so… Steven-y. you know?"

"Yeah, and this conversation went straight into Creepy-ville just down Awkward-valley so… bye."

A shot of panic pinched at her pickled mind "Eric wait!"

The dial tone told her that it was too late, and her pouty bottom lip stuck out as she slammed the phone, gulping at the almost empty bottle "Stupid Eric, my Eric would kick your scrawny ass!"

How stupid that was didn't register in her brain because, well she was drunk.

Her bed was soft, cool.

She wasn't even sure when she closed her eyes.

A few short hours later and a car pulled up to the Burkhart mansion just as the sun was starting to fall out of the sky.

"What am I doing?"

Eric shook his head to no one but himself.

He wasn't even sure what he was doing here.

*Knock*

He should have just gotten Donna.

*Knock*

Or maybe his mom, hell even Red, someone who could handle her.

The door opened ajar, Eric meeting Daniella's questioning stare.

"Um, hey… any chance Jackie's home."

"You are Miss Jackie's friend?"

"Well, friend is a strong word, friend of a friend, more of a reluctant victim really." Eric nodded at his smart-ass comment with no laughter to answer it.

Instead Daniella eyed him like a rabid dog "Name?"

"Oh, right Eric. Forman, Eric Forman. That's me. Tis I."

A spark of recognition came to the maid's eye accompanied with a small smile "Yes, the strange twitchy boy. Miss Jackie speaks fondly of you."

As she pushed at the door to let him in Eric arched a brow of confusion "Fondly? Of me? We're talking about Jackie Burkhart, right? Small, mean, like a vicious puppy?"

"Yes, yes, come now. She talks about you and the large redhaired girl, she says you're a good boy with a cheeky mouth and awful dancing." Eric felt a twinge of warmth that Jackie had said somewhat pleasant things about him, after all nice wasn't really her forte "She could use a friend, poor girl. Between you and I, I blame those parents."

Once they reached the bedroom door with a large glittery 'J' hanging on it Daniella wrapped her knuckles lightly "Miss Jackie, you have a visitor."

The older woman turned to leave but not before throwing a sorrowing glance over her shoulder "please, get her to eat something."

"Yeah, um, sure." Eric didn't bother knocking again after Daniella rounded the corner, leaving the boy alone and confused.

"What the hell?"

To an outsider the room looked trashed.

Well, that's because it was.

Stepping over the shattered unicorn statue and crunching the remains of a Donny Osmond poster under his heel, Eric went over to the bed and saw Jackie like he'd never seen her before, half naked with her hair messed around her head, face down in her pillow and her limp grip barely hanging on to the basically empty bottle of whiskey.

Well first things first, because he just wasn't comfortable knowing what colour underwear she was wearing, Eric grabbed a fuzzy nightgown from the chair on her vanity table and threw it over her lower half.

"Jackie? Hey wake up?"

She didn't even flinch.

"Come on Satan, your hell fire's running low… Jackie!" he shook her lightly before taking a lungful of air "Oh my god that guy's wearing brown shoes with a black belt!"

She shot up like he'd set her hair on fire, said hair half sticking to her face "What? Where? Get him!"

Eric bit his lip to try and not laugh as Jackie blinked away the blurriness before looking at boy.

"Eric?"

He offered her a goofy grin "Well good morning to you, Sunshine."

"Don't call me that!" she snapped, even bearing her teeth at him.

Hand's up in surrender he backed off slightly "alright geez."

"I don't feel to good."

"Oh crap. Hang on." grabbing an empty glass from her side table then straight into the spacious ensuite, Eric pushed through the sweet clean soap smell that flooded the room.

He came back, glass of water in hand, and knelt beside her "Come on drink up. This'll help, I think."

Jackie wasn't sure just when she grabbed his hand; when he gave her the water or when he tried to move away. Either way she was holding it tight now and, in her daze, she forgot; she forgot that this Eric wasn't hers.

His eyes were soft, and kind and his hand was warm against her fingers.

It was just a moment.

"You're the best friend ever, you know that right Twitch?"

An awkward chuckle was all he could offer her "Wow, you are seriously wasted… you didn't take any more of those pills, right?"

His concern was sweet, but the question brought her back to the fucked-up reality she'd landed in "Uh, no, no. I swear! Although some aspirin would be a dream right now."

"How about a burger instead? a little birdie told me someone has been neglecting her tummy!" he used his baby voice that made Jackie want to both kick him in the head and hold him until she fell back asleep.

She pushed her hair out of her face, slowly standing to make sure she was steady and not really giving a damn about Eric seeing her pretty pink panties, hell he'd once pulled her naked body out of the tub when she fell asleep after working three back to back shifts at some crappy waitress job.

He gave her CPR he barely remembered from health class.

After she coughed up a stomach full of strawberry bubble bath he just held her.

Rocked her.

Just glad she was okay.

Nakedness be dammed.

But then again that never happened.

"Jesus Jackie!" Eric covered his eyes like he just watched Leia about to kiss Han or something equally as horrible in his little nerd brain.

Jackie couldn't find it in her to care much, her head was seriously starting to hurt, and her stomach was doing backflips. So, she just shimmied into a pair of Jordache jeans and her favourite pair of clog sandals; they didn't do much for her small height, but they were comfy and pretty and easy to walk in.

"Okay, its safe to stare without being too Fez-ion."

It wasn't until he turned to watch her brush out her dark curls that Eric actually realized what she was wearing "is that Hyde's shirt?"

"No, it's mine, believe it or not Eric people can like Abba and Zeppelin!"

"They can?" she wasn't sure if the shock in his voice was real or fake and her head hurt too much to try and figure it out.

Grabbing his arm, she laughed, the noise echoing painfully in her head "shut up… lets go."

Eric didn't fight when she pulled him through the house, he shared a smile with Daniella as Jackie told her they were going for food.

The drive was quiet, the music on radio so low you could barely make out the words. That awkward silence Eric was used to whenever he was left alone with Jackie seemed to have just fizzled into a strange new familiarity.

That made his feel even more awkward.

So yeah.

They sat in the Cruiser behind the Hub as they ate, because as the small brunette put it 'the lights inside were trying to melt Jackie's brain'.

Taking a bite out of her burger Jackie watched the skinny boy beside her, who in feeling her gaze turned with a mouth full of food "w-h-at?"

"Why did you come over?"

He shrugged, not meeting her gaze.

"I wish I knew; Maybe one of your demon spawn possessed me, I don't know."

Her big brown eyes just kept staring at him, picking away at his meek defences "okay, fine, I guess I felt kind of crappy for hanging up on you, okay?"

"did you tell anyone?" she started picking the seeds off the remainder of her bun, slow and calculated.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

Their eyes met then, she watched him and knew he was trying to find the right words to:

Not sound like a total dink!

Not get himself in trouble

Not to upset her

"I don't know, I almost told Donna but… I don't know." It was a lame excuse, he could have told everyone how Jackie had drunk called him in the middle of the afternoon and known how sweet a burn it would have been.

He was actually tempted to for a hot second.

But when he opened him mouth to a basement full of his friends the words just wouldn't come out.

Instead his head was jammed with all these questions like 'why Jackie would be drunk at two in the afternoon?' and 'why the hell would Jackie even call me, drunk or not?'

Jackie wasn't sure what to make of that, sure her Eric would never even think of telling a soul and if she'd have drunk dialled him he'd have come running to save her or join the party.

She just had to try and remember this wasn't her Eric.

But he still came for her.

Still cared.

He was still able to love her that much again one day.

"Well, thank you."

She kissed his cheek and went back to her food, now picking at her fries.

She could feel him watching her, feel that worry in the stiff way he held himself and how his fingers lightly twitched.

It made her feel good, almost happy.

"Jackie what's going on with you? These last few days… I mean yeah, you've always been a bit, much, you know, but ever since that 'trip' you took, I don't know. I mean why would you even do that? And since when do you drink like at all really? You can't be that upset over Hyde or Kelso, I mean, come on you're Jackie!"

She felt the warmth pool in her chest and fought back the tears, unable to look at him knowing the damn would break "I've been dealing with some stuff, some pretty messed up, crazy stuff and I… honestly I have no idea what I'm doing, why I've even here. Everything is just so confusing and I'm trying to figure it out, the whys and the how's and I just don't know. I feel so lost Eric."

"Oh, good god, are you crying?" panic creeped right into every syllable.

Jackie wiped at her eyes, hoping what little makeup she had on hadn't smudged "relax Eric, I'm not going to get all weepy on you."

It came out more bitter than she meant, because if this was her Eric she would, and he would sooth her and stoke her hair and just let her cry into his bony chest.

This Eric would never do that.

Except he did.

He pulled her to him in the most awkward way you can imagine, trying to figure out what the hell he was meant to do "it's okay, you just… cry or whatever. But please no snot!"

She didn't cry, not consciously anyway, but she did hug him, just to feel him close for a moment.

She could breathe then.

They stayed like that for a short while until Jackie managed to pry herself away.

Jackie licked at her dry lips, looking her-not-so-best friend dead in the eye with all the seriousness she could muster into this bizarre situation "Eric, we need to talk geek for a second okay?"

"Right… I didn't know you knew anything outside of Devil's tongue." He laughed at his own burn, but Jackie didn't falter, her bottom lip poked out slightly but apart from that…

"Eric I'm serious. I never thought I'd say this, but I need your geek-pertise because I'm really scared okay?"

Eric watched the fear flicker in those, scary doll-like eyes of hers and just nodded "okay, I guess, sure. Fire away."

"Okay, well you know how in Star Trek sometimes they have all this time travel stuff?"

"Wait you know what Star Trek is?"

"Eric focus!"

"Right… go on."

"Well, so the um, captain guy."

"Kirk, Captain Kirk."

"Interrupt me again and I swear I'll kick you!" She was starting to get pretty pissed off and it had already been one mind fuck of a day. She just needed some of his nerdy wisdom and she was grateful that living with him had forced some geek to linger in her brain, so they could communicate.

"So, say Captain Kirk got the Enterprise into a little accident and figured he was pretty much dead… then woke up before the accident even happened, before the ship even left earth, what would he do?" Jackie just stood there for a long second, Eric staring at her slack jawed.

"Ow!"

Eric rubbed at his chest where she'd pinched him "Hey, no pinching! It's not my fault your little devil brain stunned me with Star Trek knowledge!"

"Eric…" her tone was warning and pleading at the same time.

"Right, um, well I guess he'd try and avoid the accident."

"How? How could he change it so all the bad stuff he knew was coming would just...stop?!"

There was a hint of desperation in her voice and normally Eric would have picked it up, but he was still reeling from the fact he was talking about Star Trek with Jackie-freaking-Burkhart!

"Well Kirk's a smart guy, so naturally he'd just make a road map, you know, just list all the stuff that happened and then figure out how to stop it as he went; one step at a time."

Jackie slowly nodded her head, staring off behind the lean boy "Right. A road map, that good."

"Yeah… so Jackie, how long have you been a closet geek for?"

There it was again, that stupid beautiful goofy grin and Jackie smiled, but it wasn't exactly the kindest smile "you tell anyone we had this conversation and the school paper gets an anonymous letter about how you pluck your eyebrows."

"What? How do you… Satan!" he pointed at her like she'd just sprouted horns.

He drove her home much in the way he'd driven her out.

It was less awkward.

More weird.

Once he dropped her outside the empty mansion Jackie smiled at him "Thanks for tonight Eric, it meant a lot."

"Hey, Jackie… just out of curiosity, why exactly did you call me?"

"For the same reason you were the first person I told when I thought I was pregnant, because I trust you."

He just watched her for a long second, unsure what to do with that information "erm, wow, um, thanks?"

A smile tugged at her lips and Jackie giggled at him "you're welcome. Sweet dreams Eric."

"Yeah, night Jackie… oh hey wait. You're coming to my dad's barbeque, tomorrow right?"

A lump caught in the young brunette's throat "Barbeque?"

"Yeah, you know, after the Veterans Day parade. We do it every year. You know that."

She could feel her heart bouncing off her ribs "Right. Of course, I'll totally be there."

"Great. See you tomorrow Devil."

She waved him off, waiting for the cruiser's tail lights to round the corner before she sucked in a much needed lungful of air.

Veterans Day.

Tomorrow.

Okay Jackie just breath.

Just fucking breath.

She walked into the house, knowing Daniella would be long gone and glared into the darkness. She didn't have time to notice the lame drunken message from her mother on the answering machine or the fact her room had been scrubbed clean, it looked almost bare now.

She just kicked off her shoes and got to work.

She had a list of the worst things that happened to her and the people she loved to make.

She had to choose an outfit.

Bake a pie.

No, two pies.

Come up with a plan.

Man, it was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys I'm so sorry about the delay but I'm not going to lie this chapter almost killed me. I had so many idea's, then a bit of writer's block…but hey, its done, it's here and I really hope you all like it.**

 **Let me know what you think and if I messed up anywhere because it's 3:09 am here so yeah, my proofreading may be lacking.**

 **Love ya's. xoxo**

Jackie didn't call the Forman's that morning, mostly because she was asleep and by the time Daniella managed to wake her the parade was already starting.

She's been up most of the night, but she managed to get down everything she could think of, all the awful, life changing things to come.

At least she hoped she got them all.

Remembering what Eric had said about dealing with each problem as it came she made a sort of plan in regard to Veterans Day.

She showered.

Got dressed, deciding to go with lilac crop top with flared sleeves rather than the new Lynyrd Skynyrd tee she was itching to wear.

Then she raced downstairs to grab her pies, some aspirin, and haul ass.

"Good morning, Kitten."

Jackie froze, just as she was about to round into the kitchen, but she didn't bother looking over to her father in the door way of his study "Good morning."

She carried on hoping he would head back into his little sanctuary and leave her be, but apparently luck was not on her side that morning.

"So, Kitten what are your plans for the day?"

She was just putting the pies into containers, back to her father as she spoke "The Forman's barbecue."

"That sounds like fun."

With the pies ready to go she grabbed two aspirin from the cupboard, washing them down with a few gulps of tap water, careful not to smudge her lipstick.

"Yeah, the Forman's always throw great party's."

"You always seem so bored whenever your mother or I throw a party."

She turned to find her father tapping lightly on the kitchen island "You and mom don't throw parties, you have business functions or campaigning events."

Her bitter tone didn't go unnoticed and as she tried to leave, pies tucked under her arm, she almost crashed into her father's suit, a suit that could have easily paid for a few month's rent on her and Eric's apartment.

"I'm already late."

"Jackie, I hate to ask but… did you take a bottle of whiskey from the liquor cabinet."

He expected her the squirm away, pout and offer some silly girlish excuse, but that didn't happen.

"Yeah. I did." Jackie shrugged, looking him dead in the eye without flinching.

Jack was the one who flinched back, clearly not expecting her answer or attitude "Jackie what has gotten into you, first that strange display at breakfast and now you're stealing liquor? I don't think I want you hanging around with those 'friends' of yours anymore. They're clearly a corrupting influence, this type of thing never happened when you were socializing with a better class of people."

Jackie couldn't have bit back the scoff of she tried "oh, by 'better class' you mean the back stabbing, two faced cheerleaders who made me hate myself or maybe the arrogant steroid pumped jocks who kept grabbing my ass and trying to fuck me?"

Jack stumbled back at his daughter's words, clearly shocked, but she kept going "or maybe you're talking about the rich snobs you and mom introduce me to, the ones who think they have some sort of hold over me because their parents are your friends. Or maybe…"

"Enough!" Jack slammed his hand on the marble of the kitchen counter "I don't like the way you're behaving, this attitude. It stops now, you stay away from those kids or so help me god…"

"What? What will you do? Ground me? It's not like you're around to actually enforce that, now are you?"

"Jacqueline Beulah Burkhart, I am your father and you will show me some respect! And until you realize what it is you have, start showing some gratitude and remove yourself from those delinquent's you are cut off!"

It was a strange sense of déjà vu.

"No more money, credit cards…"

She knew this threat, back then it made her shudder.

"…gifts and no car. You will have nothing, until you grow up and apologize. Do you understand me?"

Now though she just laughed.

Yep, just started giggling bitterly right in his face before pushing past him "You're making me choose between money and _them_?"

That was it.

He'd won.

He knew it.

Until she pretty much threw her car keys at him and her chin high in defiance.

Jack Burkhart stood in shock as his little girl just walked away, her stance never faltering for a single step, hearing the rattling slam of the front door.

What the hell had just happened?

Jackie pretty much raced down the road to hail a cab, like hell was she getting on some disgusting bus filled with strange people and their nastiness.

That stupid argument had made her even more late than she already was.

Now he decides to act like a real dad?

And he still gets it wrong…

Fuck him!

Her first stop was the Pinciotti's, she found Donna pinning up stars to the fence and was hit with the memory of talking at her about Steven in that very spot.

"Hey."

The redhead turned with a bright smile, happy to see her friend "oh, hey Jackie."

That just felt weird.

Jackie just strolled over to the buffet table, placing down one of the containers "I made a pie for your dad's barbeque."

"You? You mean your maid or something right?"

Jackie glared with her hands curled into fists on her hips "No, Donna. I made it. Me! No need to thank me it's not like I was up half the night baking or anything!"

Donna eyed the pie sceptically but still had the decency to look some what ashamed "Oh, um, okay, thanks Jackie."

A broad smile pushed its way onto Jackie's lips "You're welcome. Okay, I have a pie for the Forman's too, so I'll see you later."

"Bye…" Donna watched the little brunette take off before picking up the pie and inspecting it.

Looks good.

Smells great!

Wait… who told Jackie they were having a barbeque?

"Hey Mrs Forman." Jackie let herself into the kitchen, having used the front door to pretty much avoid her friends, and finding every surface filled with food.

"Hello dear." Kitty didn't look up from whatever it was she was making.

Jackie just found an empty space near the stove and pulled out the pie, not noticing as Kitty turned to figure out what she was doing "Jackie, you brought a pie. Well that's just so sweet of you."

"Yeah, I'm sure it's not as great as yours but hey, I tried."

Kitty watched the brunette slightly slack jawed "Wait… are you saying you made this."

"Yeah…"

"But… it's cooked!" Kitty had lifted the pie to inspect it, a nice golden crust.

A low chuckle left Jackie's chest only because she remembered that this Mrs. Forman's only memory of Jackie baking had ended more than a tad poorly "well ever since you helped me with home ec that one time I've been practicing. I just, I wanted you to see I'm not completely useless."

It hadn't been a complete lie, that was one of the reasons she started helping Kitty in the first place, to prove to her and herself that she could do it; but more than that she wanted Kitty to see her, to teach and love her.

After all isn't that what every little girl wants.

A mother's love.

Kitty offered the girl a sympathetic tight-lipped smile "Oh Jackie honey you're not useless, you're just… here, let's try a little of this pie shall we…"

Kitty cuts into and plates a slice.

Jackie fidgets with her fingers, pushed into a memory of anxious hope.

With a small bite off her fork Kitty meets Jackie's eye.

"Oh, my goodness!"

Kitty stares between the small girl and the slice of pie with a high-pitched laugh "Jackie you, you, oh my!"

The clear shock was something Jackie could easily overlook due to the pride in the older woman's eyes.

"You like?"

Kitty's smile made Jackie's heart swell.

"Like? Jackie this is just… I knew you could do it, well, not this but something! Oh, come here."

Kitty pulled her into a giggle filled hug, rocking them both "I'm just so proud of you! And Jackie, let me tell you, this… is simply _delicious!_ You just have to give me the recipe!"

"I'll trade you it."

"Ohh what for?"

"Your peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe and teaching me how to not ruin them." a small smile came to Jackie's mind at the memory of her and Steven pulverising their friends with her failed cookies.

"You have yourself a deal missy!" Kitty clapped giddily "Oh this is going to be so much fun, Laurie never wants to cook with me."

Jackie just shrugged in a matter of fact way "Well that's just because she's an ungrateful whore."

"Jackie! Now that's just…"

Queue nervous giggle.

"…Coke?"

Hyde wasn't sure what he was doing, sat in the Forman's backyard with a beer he'd managed to swipe when Red wasn't looking.

What was less Hyde-like was the light tapping of his foot and the strange weight in his gut.

The day before he'd been waiting for Jackie to tumble into the basement with some snide attitude about how he'd acted over her gift.

He'd been prepared for her snotty-bitchiness.

Let her get a few cracks in while he zenned it out.

Then when she was good and pouty, and Mrs Forman called everyone up for dinner, he'd come out wearing the jacket, he'd let her do her stupid girly thing and say whatever crap came gushing out of her stupid cheerleader mouth and shrug it off with a 'whatever'.

She'd smile, thinking she'd won.

He wouldn't have to feel so crappy, still maintain his cool and as a bonus the image of her looking all sad and weepy would fuck off!

But she never showed.

Then Forman took off, after being pretty zoned out since lunch, only to come back smelling like honey and baby powder…and grease.

The grease was one thing but those other two, that was all Jackie.

Not that Hyde took an interest in how she smelled, it was just one of those things you couldn't help but notice.

Jackie smelled good.

Just an observation.

Anyway, why the hell would Forman take off to hang out with Jackie?

Were they even friends?

They seemed pretty 'friendly' the other day…

Wait…

Stop!

For gods sake this is Forman and Jackie we're talking about.

When had his beer gotten so empty?

He headed to try and snake another one.

That was the plan anyway.

Until Jackie glided out of the kitchen and his feet stopped working.

"Oh, hey Jackie."

"Hey Steven." She smiled sweetly at him.

Wait, what.

No snooty holier-than-thou attitude.

No annoying glare.

Just 'hey, Steven.'

She didn't even sound upset.

Why did that piss him off so much.

"Jackie, hey. Looking good." Kelso slinked against the pouch, eyeballing his ex.

Hyde rolled his eyes.

Of course.

Now her little rebound mission with him was clearly over she'd gotten dressed up for Kelso.

Typical.

"Yeah, I know. Do you guys know where Mr Forman is? Mrs Forman asked me to bring him these."

Hyde hadn't even noticed the tray of raw meat she was carrying.

Something was off.

I mean she didn't try to make him grovel with her usual princess attitude.

Didn't look at all pissed off with Kelso, she was passive with him… and him.

Zen.

Maybe she'd taken more of his teachings in than he's realized.

"He's set up near the garage side door."

"Thanks."

He watched her go feeling more than a tad confused.

"Hey, wouldn't it be funny if Jackie and I started doing it while I'm dating Laurie."

Hyde looked to his friend's dopy grin while Kelso checked out Jackie's ass…

And naturally frogged him.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"because you're an idiot!"

Hyde walked off to get some food, Kelso running after him kind of panicked "You can't hit a guy for that… seriously Hyde I need this arm!"

Meanwhile Jackie made her way through the small wave of people towards Red and she was fine.

Totally. Fine.

As long as she remembered to breathe!

"Hey Mr Forman."

Just put down the food.

Breathe.

Don't look back.

Breathe.

"Jackie. How's things?"

She nodded mutely, her lip twitching upward.

'How's things?' mixed with his awkward side eye letting her know he's concerned.

He's asking if she's alright?

If she was better than the teary girl from the other night?

If anyone needed a foot up their ass?

"Pretty good, thanks for asking. How about you? Enjoying your Veterns Day?"

A sinister smile crept onto his lips "oh yeah."

Jackie wasn't sure what he meant by that until Eric came through the garage "Bad news, Dad…oh hey tiny-Devil, The Pinciotti's have these."

Jackie tried not to choke on her heart at the name Eric had called her, biting her lip to try and swallow it back down.

That's what 'her' Eric called her.

"Red, white and blue napkins? That clever S.O.B. And I cheaped out and went for the plain white."

"So, what, now we surrender?"

Oh, right the 'best barbeque war'… that slipped her mind for a second.

"Surrender? You know, if this were an actual war, you'd be the first in a body bag."

It was cute watching Eric and Red team up.

"Yes, sir. I'm gonna go refill the ketchups."

Well…

"Schlitz."

It was until Red opened his shaken beer and drown them both.

"Seriously!? this is Silk!"

Jackie stood there for a second and before she realized it Red was handing her a towel and shuffling awkwardly back to the grill.

He hadn't even dried himself, she wasn't sure why until Laurie passed them with a snide smirk "nice training bar!"

Yep her shirt was pretty much see-though.

"Well at least I wear a bra, skank!"

Jackie sneered, rushing down the side stairs to the basement.

Her back met the door as it closed behind her.

Happy to be away from prying eyes.

Her own looking down with a sneer.

She was sticky.

She smelt like beer.

"Oh, Gross!"

She peeled off the shirt.

Throwing it in the washer and was suddenly really grateful that Fez had taught her how the hell to work one of these things.

After she ruined a good few loads of clothes that this.

She wasn't sure what she was meant to do after managing to clean the stink off her flawless skin.

She could hear the party upstairs.

The music.

The people.

They all seemed so happy, so carefree.

All the while Jackie was trying not to freak out.

When she'd seen Steven on the porch she felt like she was kicked in the chest.

He was wearing the exact same thing he had then.

Their first date.

First kiss.

She buried her face into the palm of her hands, biting her lip to try and keep the tears at bay.

What was she doing.

She wasn't sure about anything, not really.

But she had to stick to the plan.

It was a simple plan.

A plan she'd spend most of the night agonizing over.

She wanted to save Steven.

It was that simple, she couldn't lose him, but she knew she couldn't have him… not like they were.

But to watch him laugh…

Burn people…

Complain about disco…

Try to hide a smile when Kitty fussed over him.

To watch him live his life.

To be part of that.

Even if it wasn't the part she wanted it was better than nothing… right?

Her feet seemed to carry her to Steven's old room.

His cot was still there.

The cot they'd never shared.

Where he'd never pecked kisses onto her neck to tickle her with his beard.

Where they'd never made love.

Never whispered he loved her when he thought she was asleep.

Where he'd never fucked that whore Sam.

Some of his clothes and records were thrown around, but most of his stuff had been moved to Bud's.

Bud.

Steven's 'father'.

Yeah, she wasn't to sure how to deal with that one… but like Eric said, one step at a time right.

Her fingers latched onto some rough cotton from the old dresser.

His Pink Floyd shirt.

She just had to make it through today.

"What the hell…"

Steven.

"Jackie, man what are you doing?"

Trying to fucking breathe!

"Um, I just… needed a shirt."

"What happened to 'your' shirt?"

He took a step further into the room, to her.

She could feel those baby blues she couldn't see through his glasses eyeing her.

Dizzy.

Breath!

Why did she have to keep telling herself that?

Useless lungs!

"The washer, Red's beer kind of exploded all over my brand-new silk shirt. I had to wash it before that nasty cheap beer smell completely destroyed it."

That made sense.

Perfect sense.

Wait, it was true.

So why was she so nervous?

"What you couldn't have borrowed something of Laurie's or Donna's?"

She stood hand on hips, his shirt gripped tightly between her fingers and if she noticed him staring at her creamy skin or beer stained bra she didn't say anything "right because I'm really going to walk over there like this? And please, Laurie? Do I want VD from her nasty ass slut closet? No thank you!"

A smile came to corner of his mouth at Jackie's clear disgust.

He'd come down there to grab some of his stash, then he found her.

In her bra…

Her white, lacey, perfectly clinging, bra.

His first instinct had been that she was trying to seduce him or some shit.

He ignored that little bang of something when he realized that wasn't the case.

Not that he would have anyway.

I mean it's Jackie.

Not only would it just make things more fucked up in the group, but she was still heartbroken over Kelso and all his bullshit.

She was just rebounding, and yeah, he was an ass, but wasn't an asshole.

Big difference.

"Right, well maybe you should, I don't know, put the shirt on!"

It took her a second to realize she was actually half naked in front of him.

Why was that nerve racking?

Eric had seen her half naked yesterday and she didn't even bat an eye.

But now, with Steven?

He watched as she slipped the shirt, his shirt, over her head and his breath caught for just a freaking second.

Jackie was wearing his shirt.

It looked good.

Just… very nice…

"Right, so…"

"Yeah…"

This wasn't awkward at all or anything.

Wait, yes, yes it was.

As the washer dinged Jackie finally made a move to leave the room.

His hand caught her arm.

Her skin was soft.

"Hey Jacks…"

"Yeah?"

She looked at him with a wide-eyed expectance.

'Jacks'

He'd started calling her that after she bought him those boots, tried to kiss him back when she really was rebounding.

That stopped after Chicago and Sam.

Then it was just Jackie…

Or bitch…

Or nothing at all.

"About, you know the other day…"

He watched her face crumple in confusion "The other day?"

"Yeah, you know, you ran out crying and whatever…"

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, for gods sake he had a plan, but Jackie just wasn't following the script.

His mouth opened to speak, unsure of what he was even going to say but he didn't get the chance as realization come into the small girl's eyes.

"Oh, right, don't worry about it."

"Wait, what?"

What game was she playing?

Who'd flipped the freaking board over?

She pried his fingers off her arm and held it gently between her own, he hadn't even realized he had hold of her.

"Look Steven I get it okay, I've been acting a little clingy lately, I guess I just…" she couldn't stop looking at his hand between hers, so big and warm and kind of rough "I've never had anyone look out for me before, then you just _always_ do; but that's whatever… the point is, we're good Steven and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Hyde stood pretty dumbfounded because… damn.

"So, can we just skip everything else and go right to the 'friends' part?"

"oh um… okay I guess that's cool."

A face splitting smile broke on Jackie's lips, ignoring the perfect weight of his hand still in hers "Great. Oh, and Steven as your friend I have to tell you to stop cutting your hair!"

"What?"

"Stop. Cutting. Your. Hair! Don't get me wrong you're hot either way but when it was longer and had those highlights it really accentuated your jaw line and totally made your eyes just pop. You know, when you take off those stupid glasses anyway."

"I did not have highlights!"

"Sure, Steven, because the top of your head was just naturally blond."

"I was a blonde kid, it just grew out weird."

"Sure, it did, just like you guys read Penthouse for the article's."

He watched her walk out of his room with a shake of his head, god that girl was frustrating as hell.

And confusing.

And annoying

And bending over to get her shirt out of the machine and what man with eyes wouldn't be looking at her ass right now!

Not that he was.

They sat around the basement in mostly silence for the next hour, waiting for her shirt to air-dry because as Jackie said "Steven, this is silk, you don't put silk in the dryer unless you're stupid or some fashion hating feminist like Donna!"

So yeah.

If you'd ask him why he'd stayed down there with her the answer was simple.

Red would be to busy with the barbeque and his duel with Bob to come down there and find him snaking beer… also Little House on the Prairie was on.

He'd have probably left out the last part.

It was strange but… it was nice.

Steven wasn't sat in his usual seat, instead he was on the sofa next to Jackie, his arm thrown over the back cushion.

Jackie tried not to think about how close he was, his arm almost around her, their thighs grazing every now and then.

She could smell him so much stronger than she remembered, and not just because she kept brushing her nose against the collar of his shirt she was wearing.

She was pretty sure that he could hear her heart battering against her chest.

He was just…

So close.

"Oh, what are you guys doing down here?" Eric looked at the pair confused, if he noticed Hyde's arms snapping away from the back of the sofa he didn't mention it.

"Tv. Beer."

Hyde didn't bother looking over to his best friend an he shrugged, but he did notice the look the other boy gave Jackie.

Something like concern.

Why?

"Well we've all headed over to the Pinciotti's, turns out Bargain Bob's is closing down, also I might need a little help with the keg because, well I have the muscle density of a jelly fish so..."

Jackie's eyes kind of sparkled as she laughed at Eric.

She loved how happy he was, just happy, lacking that stone edge her Eric had formed.

She just was happy that he was happy.

So, she didn't notice the look Steven was giving her for her reaction to the skinny boy.

"Alright, lets go before Forman ends up snapped like a toothpick pretending to be a man."

"Hey, I am very much a man!"

"Of course, you are." Jackie ruffled his hair with pouty, patronizing smile.

"Damn right I am! …wait are you wearing Hyde's shirt?"

God, she loved that boy.

In the Pinciotti's yard Jackie sat with Fez who had taken a seat beside her with a very serious expression "Jackie, we must talk."

"Sure, what's up?"

She leaned into his presence, she'd missed him, he'd always been so good and kind and maybe that's why she'd latched onto him after everything with Steven fell apart.

She just wanted something good.

She never meant to use him.

To hurt him.

To lose him.

Fez looked her dead in the eyes like they were discussing the cure to cancer or something. Then he lifted up a plate of half eaten pie "Donna says to me that it is you who created this heaven that has touched my tongue, yes?"

"Yes Fez, I made the pie. So, what?"

"So, Fez requires more, that is what."

"But Fez I only made two pies and I'm pretty sure that…"

"I said more, woman!"

She didn't mean to laugh at him, really, she didn't but he was just so serious over a freaking pie.

Her Fez had never really been around to have any of it.

Maybe if she'd sent him one he'd have started speaking to her properly again.

For the pie if nothing else.

"I'll tell you what, I'll make one specially for you."

"A whole pie just for Fez?" his hand was over his heart, seemingly touched.

"Yep."

"Oh Jackie, my goddess, Eric has never been more wrong, you are not a devil, you are an angel, an angel of pie!"

She watched as his eyes sparkled lightly before noticing Eric talking to Donna.

It was just plain weird to see them together.

She forgot how happy they made each other.

All her heart seemed to remember where Eric's drunken tears, his heartbreak and pain.

Donna's cruelty and callousness.

Watching her now Jackie wondered where all that came from, was it always there, she'd assumed it was… but now…

"Jackie! Hello?"

Eric was standing in front of her, waving in her face with his spidery fingers

"Oh hey, sorry, I was just in my own little bubble there."

"I could see that. Listen I just wanted to, you know…"

"Check on me?"

"Yeah that? So… you don't seem drunk."

She couldn't help but laugh just a little, he was trying to be nice without seeming pushy.

She could she the hint of worry in his eyes.

She loved him for that.

"Eric, I'm okay, I mean yeah things are really, really messed up right now but after our talk yesterday I'm just trying to get a handle on things, you know. I'll be fine, I mean how could I not be with you looking out for me…" she bumped her shoulder into his with a sweet smile "…also I'm Jackie Burkhart, I've survived more Flash Sale Mobs than Luke Skywalker has dodged Stormtrooper blasters, I can survive anything!"

"Oh my god..." he had the awestruck glint and that dopy grin "where the hell has this Jackie been all this time? Because she is seriously so much cooler than the old one… not to mention nicer!"

"Eric, we have very different definitions of cool."

"Oh whatever, you made a Star Wars reference."

She was just about to make a comment about his eyebrows when Donna showed up, and despite her little threat the night before she'd never actually tell Eric's secret, she just liked teasing him with it and knowing that not even the redhead had ever known.

"Hey, guys." Donna handed Eric a hotdog with a sparkler in it and a burger to Jackie.

The brunette eyed the meat patty for a second, trying to convince herself that Donna wouldn't be gross enough to spit in her food.

Well this Donna wouldn't at least.

"Honey Mustard, right?"

Brown eyes met blue "What?"

Donna looked from Jackie to the burger "your burger, you prefer honey mustard to ketchup, right? Hey if I screwed it up I can get you another one."

That was sweet.

Considerate.

Wait Donna remembered how Jackie liked her burger?

Huh.

"No, no it's great, I'm just a little thirsty is all."

"Worry not fair maidens, Sir Eric shall return with refreshments." He kissed his girlfriends hand with a small bow, Red rolling his eyes from across the lawn.

He left them.

alone.

Together.

Alone.

Oh god.

"Hey Jackie…"

There was now where to run.

"Thanks for the pie, it was a real hit, my Dad and Fez literally started fighting over the last piece before Red snatched up. It was so funny."

"you're welcome."

Jackie wasn't to sure what the hell she was meant to say.

I mean think about it.

What do you say to your former best friend who treated you like muddy-shoe-ruining-dirt and broke your heart and the heart of your actual best friend but has absolutely no memory of that.

Geese, that's a mouthful.

Seriously though, what do you say?

"Jackie, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Donna. Of course, why wouldn't I be okay?" she could see Donna's lack of belief in her shaky words and… where the hell was Eric with those drinks.

"Soda for my lady."

Oh, thank god.

From the back of the yard the trio couldn't feel the pair of steel blue eyes watching them.

Hyde was just kind of confused.

About pretty much everything.

Kelso handed him a beer and leaned back onto the fence beside his friend "Man, Jackie is acting like totally nuts. You know she hasn't checked me out once in days, that's like, insane! She just keeps smiling at me the same way my grandma does whenever she visits… it's getting creepy man."

"maybe she's just over Kelso, ever think of that."

"That's just stupid, I mean we were in love, like totally and completely in love! You don't just get over that!"

Kelso seemed more annoyed than actually hurt by the idea, which just pissed Hyde off "If you were so in love then why the hell did you cheat on her all the time."

"oh Hyde, still so much to learn, love and sex are like totally different things. Like look at me and Laurie, I love being with her, because you know, she's like really hot, but Jackie, like if I did something stupid, yeah, she'd call me stupid, but she was okay with it because she knew that being this good looking comes at a price. Jackie just got me man, she does that."

In a strange sort of Kelso way that made sense, Jackie was blunt as a brick, but she never really condemned you for the stuff you did.

Hyde had always kind of admired that about her.

"Yeah, Jackie's pretty great... wait, is she wearing your shirt?!"

Hyde just nodded slightly to Kelso's statement and watched her a laugh at something Eric said, cracking open his beer.

The barbeque had gone better than Jackie had expected.

Even her and Donna had kind of gotten along… mostly because she refused to be alone with the girl but still.

Baby steps right.

Her mind was running on a single track though…Steven.

She hoped everything she'd done today had some sort of effect on the end game.

She just had to keep him from falling in love with her and becoming an asshole.

She could do that.

Totally…

She hoped.

Walking through her front door after paying the cabby she'd expected empty darkness like usual.

However, the fire was roaring bright in the study.

She was hoping to avoid any more stupid arguments with her father, and she was almost grateful when she peeked around the corner to see her mother instead.

Almost.

Pam was laid out on the chaise lounge in literally nothing but some skimpy lingerie, there were a few bottles of wine littered around the room, the record player was making that little noise it did, telling Jackie the record had long finished and the vacuum was on its back in the middle of the room.

So, her mom was home…

"Jackie, there you are!"

"Hey mom."

"my perfect little girl!" Pam smiled drunkenly, already half asleep… or passed out.

One or the other.

Jackie moved her further up the cushions, knowing from experience she wasn't strong enough to get her up the stairs "You are just so beautiful, do you know that… you get that from me you know."

"I know mom."

Pam was only ever kind of nice to Jackie when she was drunk.

It used to make her think maybe that made all the other stuff better, but it didn't.

"I was always so beautiful, I could have any man I wanted, or woman for that matter. Now I just, I keep getting older… Jackie, honey, I'm still beautiful, right?"

Pam looked close to tears as Jackie covered her with a small blanket over her agonizingly perfect body "more than anyone mom, now get some sleep."

"I love you so much sweetheart."

Jackie watched her for a second, biting back tears.

It was one of the few times those words seemed genuine, but Jackie wasn't the fool she once was.

Yeah, her mom loved her in her own way… but she'd always love herself more.

Jackie hated her for that.

She also kind of hated herself for not really hating her.

Parents sucked.

 **This is Chip.**

 **Bitch.**

 **Shoot me!**

 **Bowling.**

 **Soft lips.**

 **Raspberry Chapstick.**

 **Take me home, you pig.**

 **Yes, dear.**

Hyde jolted awake on his lumpy mattress in his father's apartment, franticly looking through the pitch-black room, breathing deep, heavy breaths.

"Man, I gotta stop hitting it before I go to sleep!"


	6. Chapter 6

34 days…

That's how long it had been since Jackie woke up in 77' and I'm not going to lie it has not been the smoothest of transitions.

I mean come on it's not like you get hauled back in time every day of the week…

She'd forgotten how hard it was to get a job without references, for one thing.

I mean for gods sake she had years' worth of experience in all kinds of jobs, from waitressing to secretary skills, hell she was even a personal shopper for a while but it's not exactly like she could tell her potential employers 'oh, yeah I worked there for six months… well I will have in 1981 anyway'.

She got pretty lucky with this little café in the mall, it was… she wanted to say nice but couldn't seem to force it past her lips.

In fact, it was cheap and tacky, and the bright yellow walls paired with the cracked blue leather seats gave her a headache but Jane, the owner, wasn't too fussy about needing references.

Jane was the kind of woman you imagine sitting at the end of a bar at the beginning of some old movie, her bottle blonde hair was always perfectly bouncy, she always seemed to have a cigarette in her hand and that look in her eye that told you she just knew stuff… most she probably wished she didn't.

Jane only had two rules in working for her; don't dip into the register and don't screw her around.

And Jackie was more than happy to live with those rules.

She had a job, that was the important part.

No matter how ugly the uniform was… so she kept telling herself.

Her next milestone had been school.

Now that was hell!

Her first day back and she felt like she was tripping over her own shadow.

She hadn't worn anything too out of character to her younger self, she didn't want to draw to much attention.

She failed miserably because when lunch came around she completely bypassed the cheerleaders and headed towards her actual friends.

Everyone was kind of shocked at that.

I mean yeah, they hung out after school and sometimes between classes and stuff, but she never ate with them, not even when she'd been dating Kelso.

That was social suicide 101.

I mean she was a cheerleader for god's sake.

Julie, the head cheer-bitch, had been so pissed she'd just stormed over, several minions at her back "Um Jackie, are you blind or just brain damaged, our table is over there!"

Jackie just smiled, it was bitter and cold, and popped a fry between her perfect pink glossed lips "I'm good here, thanks anyway."

"Jackie! For the love of Coco Chanel, you're a cheerleader, you can't sit with these… lepers! And you also can't just decide not to turn up for practice either, we waited for like a full hour for you until Kelly had to step in to do the Double Nine, which she bombed!"

Julie cast a glare over to her table, eyeing the girl with the sprained ankle.

Donna and the others around Jackie just sat watching the show, not really sure what the hell was going on because the one-time Donna suggested Jackie sit with them at lunch the little midget had almost tore her tongue from her head and the ringing in her ears had seemed never ending.

And honestly Jackie's little smile was creeping her out "I was busy, because unlike you skanks I actually have a life outside of cheerleading and also, I'm not going to let some stuck-up, bottle-job, bitch tell me where I can sit. Shoo!" Jackie fanned them away with a flick of her hand.

Julie was about to start screaming and enter full on bitch-mode until Jackie spared her a final glance "oh and I quit the squad, so now I have no fear in telling you your routines are weak and your manicure looks like it was done in a backstreet sweat shop!"

"Burn!" Kelso cheered around a mouthful of food.

Julie tore out of the room in a flood of tears as Kelso laughed manically, half the squad following after her as the rest sat shell shocked.

Their faces not much different to that of those surrounding the now ex-cheerleader. Eric, who she'd sat herself beside just looked at her in a state of confused wonder as Donna asked, "what the hell was that?"

"Jackie quit the cheerleading team and made the mean pretty girl cry, ai, Donna, pay attention!" Fez just shook his head at the girl before returning to his food.

It was that moment that Hyde took a seat at the table "hey, what I miss?"

"Well, it would seem our very own Tiny Devil has realized the truth of the dark side and joined the rebel alliance!" Eric was half proud half really freaking confused.

"What?"

"I quit cheerleading."

"oh… that's cool."

Steven tried to pretend that that wasn't one of the many strange things of late to add to his list.

I mean Jackie has been a cheerleader forever, now suddenly what, she's just done with it?

Ever since her little 'trip' things had been off.

She was nicer too… well almost.

Nicer, not nice.

Big difference.

She always looked kind of skittish around Donna.

Always apparently itching to be around Forman.

The way she acted with Fez was odd, greeting him with pie or candy at every turn, like she was trying to make amends for some argument their little foreign friend couldn't remember them having.

Apparently, she also forgave Kelso for the whole Laurie thing.

In fact, her forgiving him was actually pretty brutal, and if you're not Kelso, funny as hell.

They'd all been sat in the basement, nothing new, when Kelso threw an arm around Jackie, his fingers grazing her breast for the fourth time in the last hour before she snarled and shoved him off "that is it Michael! God I am so sick of this. I am not your fall-back girl or your love toy. I love you, yes, I will always love you, but I love you the way I love designer handbags or Channel No5, its forever and its beautiful but it'll never be more than what it is. We're over Michael, no rebounds or reconciliation and definitely no sex. Ever. Ever. Again. You need to stop, I'm asking as your friend and for the sake of our friendship just stop!... or I swear I will start singing every time you walk in the room!"

So yeah, apparently, she was really, officially over Kelso.

Hyde was pretty proud of her in all honestly, I mean everything he said to her since she dumped his friend's cheating ass seemed to have finally sunk in.

Good for her.

She was still kind of freaking him out though.

He watched her fall apart in the Forman's kitchen when Kitty was teaching her how to bake some cookies.

They kept burning.

She kept getting the mix wrong, too much sugar, not enough flour, at one point mistaking the salt for sugar.

Jackie kept crying and actually, believe it or not, apologising.

Hyde had to leave because… well he just did, it had nothing to do with her…

or her crying…

Nope.

That's definitely not the reason to came back with a bag full of replacement ingredients and spent the afternoon helping Mrs. Forman teaching Jackie to bake.

He just wanted her to learn while not burning the house down.

She kept looking at him though, all afternoon with this little smile on her face…

It was better than her crying, he guessed.

Then she turned up at his dads with a plate of his favourite cookies on his birthday, they had a slight crisp edge and a chewy middle, they were fucking perfect!

Jackie was so proud of herself and how he'd refused to share them, even smacking Fez on the hand at one point for trying to snake one.

And he swears blind, last week, he caught her singing along to Zeppelin's Living Loving Maid.

He heard the freaking words leave her mouth!

Sure, they were kind of mumbled, but he knows what he heard god damn it.

He's not crazy.

No matter how the evidence seems to point lately.

The dreams where just getting to him.

That was all.

They came and went, at first, he figured it was just some bad pot.

He wouldn't have them for a few days; so far, the longest he's gone is eight days dreamless.

Sometimes it was the same stuff over again.

Usually staring an annoying little princess; who he has genuinely considered strangling with a headphone wire on more than one occasion.

She was smiling...

Kissing that spot on his jaw that just felt _so_ nice…

Sitting in his freaking lap, like it was her own personal throne…

Screaming at him...

Crying…

Why the hell was she always crying?

Sometimes Donna was freaking blonde.

Then red again.

Sometimes she was mean… no, not mean, bitter.

Sometimes she was crying too.

Fez kind of seemed to go from being his usual self to hating him.

There were even some flicking images of Kelso with a baby, I mean come on, Kelso with a baby!

That's fucking hilarious!

The most recent ones were of Forman.

They weren't friends.

Hell, they were barely even civil.

Last nights dream was another jumbled mess, but he remembered standing in the Forman's living room, it was some sort of party, his best friend glued to Jackie's side, she wouldn't look at him and the skinny man-boy kept glaring whenever Hyde got close…

it was almost like he was protecting her…

from Hyde?

That didn't make any sense.

Anyway, since his theory about a bad stash was out thanks to Leo's high-quality standard, he was forced to move onto a new theory, clearly the mulch this school tried to feed them had finally started to get to him.

He figured it was probably some gross preservative that wasn't quite legal yet, but they ignored because it was cheaper to make the disgusting food last longer than it was to buy anything they could actually digest.

So, Hyde started bringing his own lunch…

So far it hadn't helped, but he figured the chemicals just had to work their way out of his system.

Right?

"Hyde are you even listening?"

Wait, what?

Oh, Donna was talking… they were in the basement.

Man, how long was he zoned out for?

"Apparently not." He briefly wondered where everyone else was, casting a quick glance around the room.

"Hyde come on, I'm being serious here. I don't know what the hells going on with Jackie…"

You and me both, sister.

"Every time were alone it's like she's making a run for the door, did I do something? Come on she has this weird thing with you, has she said anything?"

"First off, there is no 'thing' weird or otherwise, and even if there were why the hell would she talk to me when clearly she's busy playing dollies with your skinny-ass-boyfriend?"

That wasn't a hint of jealousy, it was annoyance, that's all, I mean she and Eric had started hanging out like actual friends, without the others and it was just straight up weird!

When did that even happen?

Jackie and Forman, friends?

Was that even plausible?

Apparently so.

He gave Donna a quick, pitying glance, it's true that one of the new strange things about Jackie was how she acted with Donna.

Before Jackie had always tried to be close to Big Red, even if she wasn't up to her standard of fashionista, Jackie was Donna's friend.

Her best friend.

Donna had apparently made that discovery herself after spending those last weeks without anyone to confide in, to talk too, to just bitch about life to.

Jackie was her best friend, don't ask her how the hell that had happened.

I mean, Jackie is selfish, mouthy, abrasive and vain beyond all belief.

God, she missed her.

She really fucking missed her.

Hyde could see the light sheen of tears starting to coat her eyes.

Oh, crap…

"Look, why don't you, I don't know, get her drunk and have her tell you what's up, booze makes everyone loose lipped." And after Jackie ratted him out about his once-upon-a-crush on Donna he knew she was a blabber "Or I don't know, just ask her about it?"

"And say what? Oh, Hey Jackie, I was just wondering why your spending more time with my boyfriend than me, you know your actual friend!"

He could hear the jealousy in her voice, whether it was over Jackie or Forman he wasn't actually too sure.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Eric came in with a little smile on his face, making a beeline for the soda on the freezer.

He was followed by Fez and Kelso who were having some sort of argument "I'm telling you man, it would be awesome!"

"I don't know, a swimming pool full of cola, what if I want a Mentos?"

"you get out of the pool."

"But then what if I already drank some of the cola pool water."

"then don't have any Mentos"

"But I want Mentos, god dammit!" Fez folded his arms and stamped his foot with a pout.

Eric ignored them, taking a sip of his soda while Donna asked under hear breath "How long have they been arguing about this?"

"Since we got to the arcade and all the way back. Its like watching the worlds worst rerun over and over."

Hyde was over by the TV, flipping through the channels to find something half decent "will you two shut it?! I'm trying to find something to watch."

"Hey how about we go to the movie's." Donna asked the boys, almost hopeful.

"Sure, we just have to swing by the mall and pick Jackie up from work." Eric nodded along mutely.

Hyde's jaw tightened.

While Donna seemed to pipe up slightly, her eyes widening just a little, all at the chance to see the friend she never wanted.

"Seriously? Why can't she just meet us there?... hey, maybe I should invite Laurie."

Letting off a bitter chuckle Eric wiped his chin from where he'd gagged on his soda thanks to Kelso's suggestion "First off… NO! and second Jackie's dad took her car remember?"

Jackie hadn't told them how her father had cut her off, only that they'd had a fight and he'd taken her car. Just getting that bit of information was like pulling teeth because Eric, Hyde and Fez had found her walking home in the rain and offered her a ride.

It hadn't taken them too long with the concerned glances and light prodding for her to start blubbering slightly.

I think she was more upset about the makeup running down her cheeks and the dripping mess that was once her perfectly styled hair, than she was about the car.

That strange twitch in Hyde chest when she leaned into Eric for comfort, Fez leaning over the front seat to lightly stroke her damp hair and Hyde watched his best friend rub her back, less awkwardly than you'd expect, telling her it was okay and offering to pick her up if she ever needed it, yeah, it was nothing… just… nothing.

Shut up!

Kelso sat with a childish pout "Fine… I just don't get why I can't bring Laurie, I mean come on she is my girlfriend."

Fez was shrugging on his coat as he answered in his manner of fact way "Because, she is a dirty whore, and no one likes her; even if many wish to do it with her."

"Fine. Let's just go."

Jackie was cleaning down the last of her tables and silently glaring at the pervy old guys that kept making eyes her.

Gross.

Her shift was almost over so she only had to put up with them for another ten minutes.

The small bell on the door hung and Jackie smiled.

"Hey Princess."

Teddy.

Wearing her usual boyish clothes and taking a seat at the counter.

The two girls had bumped into each other during Jackie's first week, both having somehow ended up sharing their lunch break, plus Jackie had become a somewhat semi regular at the Red Draw, the store where Teddy worked.

Lunch had become a fairly regular thing for the pair too, and they'd actually became friends.

Teddy went to Sacred Heart, was terrified of mice and flying and Audrey Hepburn was her ultimate hero; did you know she secretly danced ballet for groups of people to collect money for the Dutch resistance, but her parents were Nazi sympathizers? She even volunteered as a nurse during the war and was so skinny because she was malnourished, like millions of others, who nearly starved when the Nazis cut off food supplies.

She also speaks five languages.

Oh, and Her favourite colour is cyan.

Wow, more than just a pretty face.

Jackie respected that.

And kind of felt bad she didn't actually know any of it before she met Teddy; and the fact she's once envied and resented how slim Audrey Hepburn was because yeah…

Jackie poured a root beer and placed in front of her friend, already familiar with her order "you're here late."

"Yeah, I managed to pick up a double, you know with Christmas coming up and all. Elis is picking me up."

"I know what you mean, I'm trying to talk Jane into giving me Sophie's Sunday shifts. I have barely any Christmas shopping done at all, I mean I don't even have an outfit! By now I'd usually already have three. It's not remotely acceptable."

Teddy just smiled with a chuckle at the brunette "okay Princess, relax, we still have a few weeks, besides pay day's next week, we can hit the stores then. Hopefully get it all done in one hit."

"Teddy, we've been over this. Shopping is an experience, an exercise in taste and style, not some half assed garage sale. You have to take your time. Soak it in, like a bubble bath."

Teddy offered her a patronizing smile and shrugged "I'm more of a shower person."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

The bell chimed on the door and Jackie could help how her face fell, all her friends walking into the diner.

She couldn't help but wonder why all of them where there, Eric was meant to be giving her a ride, sure, but everyone else?

A gust of air got stuck in the back of her throat for a second when she saw Steven, 34 days, and she still couldn't seem to get over it.

Him.

There.

Just… being.

"Hey Jackie." Donna was the first one to open her mouth, taking the stool right next to green eyed girl with the buzzcut.

"Hey Guys, what are you all doing here?"

Kelso was looking at Teddy, well her hair, almost like he was torn between wanting to touch it but also like it might attack him.

"We're going the movie's, Exorcist II is still playing. You in?" Hyde, leaning over the end of the counter, asked like he didn't care either way.

"Sure!" her answer was a little too quick, but in all honesty scary movies were her secret indulgence.

She can't even blame that on Steven like she could her more diverse music collection, nope she'd always loved scary movies, ever since she was a kid and her Nanny had let her watch The Bad Seed.

She remembered how Steven got a kick out of it when he found out.

Maybe she should tell him, just to see that pride mixed shock again.

"Well, hello beautiful lady. I am Fez, I shall be adoring you this evening." Fez gave Teddy his best smile before Kelso grabbed his arm and failed in his attempt to whisper "Fez, man, what are you doing?"

Fez eyed his friend, confused "I'm making conversation with the pretty girl. Are you blind?"

"Fez, come on, not only is she wearing guys boots, but she has like no hair…no hair! Tell me that's not freaking you out."

"you must be Kelso." Teddy smiled like a snake eyeing mongoose.

Ready to sink her teeth in.

"Play nice." Jackie warned, this caught everyone's attention.

Eric pointed between the two vastly different breed of girl "Wait, you know each other?"

"Us, no, no, but I'm in love with her, I've actually been stalking her for months and now I'm going peal her skin off and wear it so we can finally be one…" Teddy interlocked her paint chipped fingers with a smile, like she was talking about the weather.

Jackie scoffed dismissively "Please, like you could pull off this porcelain complexion; also, you could never keep up with my moisturising routine."

"Whatever you say, Princess."

The gang all shared a look, but it was Donna that questioned the strange scene they'd walked in on "so how do you two know each other?"

Just as Teddy was about to spill the beans on the least of Jackie's little secret's the brunette took the lead "Teddy works in the mall too, she comes in for lunch."

Teddy arched a perfectly plucked brow wondering why the fact she wasn't just some tasteless preppy cliché was such a big secret.

Thankfully, before anymore questions came crashing over them, the little bell on the door chimed "Teddy, get your butt in the car. Hey Jackie."

"Hey, Elis."

Elis looked kind of like a boy version of his sister, just with more hair, a squarer rather than pointed jaw and not to mention muscles, not big nasty muscles but nice ones, he clearly played some sort of sport, basketball or baseball maybe… Jackie couldn't remember but he definitely had more fashion sense than Teddy that was for sure.

"Calm the fuck down."

"No, I have places to be and because of you I'm going to be late, now move it."

Teddy shared a knowing look with Jackie and just laughed in her brother's face, knowing exactly why he was so eager to get out of there.

"We still good for tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow night?" Donna piped up, she'd asked Jackie earlier what she was up to tomorrow but she'd dodged the question.

Teddy chugged her root beer and wiped her mouth, making sure her perfect lipstick was still, well, perfect "yeah, we're going to slumber it at my house… you want in?"

"Um, yeah sure, if you're sure?" Donna looked between Jackie and Teddy.

Teddy was looking at Jackie's annoyed pursed face with a shit eating grin, knowing she probably should have talked to her first but… well fuck it.

"Any friend of Princess's, see you girls tomorrow."

"Teddy, seriously!" Elis almost screamed

Jackie broke from her annoyance long enough to laugh as Elis dragged his sister out by the elbow, while saluted a goodbye and her brother mumbled "If Buddy thinks I'm messing him around I'm going to kill you!"

This whole time Jackie could feel Steven eyes on her, sunglasses be damned "Let me just get these nasty old pervs their check, then two minutes to change out of this hideous thing and we can go."

Hyde watched her, not her little ass, her as she walked off.

He didn't actually mind the powder blue dress, the tight little yellow ribbon on the waist, that matched the collar and arms, highlighted her curves, made those dirty old bastards gawking at her notice too.

"Hyde, man, did you just freaking growl?" Kelso asked, slightly backing away, ready to be frogged.

His head snapped up.

He what?

"What? No! it's probably the void inside of your own head howling into the abyss."

"Wait, are you saying I have dogs living in my head?"

"Long live the king…" Hyde wasn't sure who said that, he was busy making sure those wrinkled old fingers kept to them fucking selves.

The movie was actually kind of fun, I mean the movie itself sucked but Kelso kept hiding his head in Fez's arm and screaming.

Wimp.

Jackie had been squashed between Hyde and Donna, she was trying to focus on the movie, on her popcorn.

It wasn't working.

He was so close, to close.

Honestly, she hadn't given back his Pink Floyd shirt back yet and she also kind of didn't plan to, she'd taken to sleeping in it just like she'd done with his shirts from her time.

The smell of him was stronger on this shirt, not fading and aged.

She needed it.

Something.

I mean yeah, so she decided that saving Steven meant giving him up, but she wasn't okay with it.

Very far from it actually, it hurt, trying to make sure the person you love most doesn't love you… couldn't love you.

She hated it; but what choice did she have.

Donna was right, loving her had killed him.

She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

She also had the little problem of Donna.

She seemed seriously happy about the sleepover, Jackie hadn't exactly been great with her lately.

It still felt strange, I mean she knows it's kind of wrong to blame current-Donna for bitch-blond-Donna's shit but she couldn't help it… it was easier to forgive Steven, she understood why he turned on her.

In the end they became a twisted love/hate version of themselves and she knew after years of reflection that with something like that, hate ends up consuming you, because you can't take feeling so much affection for someone you can't abide.

You couldn't hate someone that much without ever loving them.

He had hated her so much.

Because he loved her so much.

Fuck, it just hurt so bad.

With donna she had tried to understand what happened, when they'd stopped being friends, but no matter how hard she tried should couldn't figure out the course. Donna had thrown her away, tossed her aside after years of friendship and for what? Some slut with a nice car? Because she could?

Jackie didn't get it, but she knew that this Donna could become that Donna on a turn of a dime and she was scared to get close again… it hadn't just been Steven she'd lost after all.

It all just hurt!

How the hell was she going to survive an entire night trapped in a house with Donna?

She was going to set Teddy on fire for this.

Eric was starting to worry about Hyde, he seemed more locked in his head than usual, something was going on with him and knowing Hyde there was no way he'd ask anyone for help, no matter how bad he needed it.

That was something he and Jackie actually had in common.

Ever since that night he'd picked her drunk ass up they'd been hanging out more, he drove her to a doll expo just last week and had actually managed to get all of the Kiss action figures and a funnel cake.

They sang along to whatever random songs came on the radio as they rode the road home, Jackie laughing when he spilled his slushy all over himself.

Him laughing at her feigning horror when he took his drenched shirt off and did a few poses that just made her laugh harder.

It was a good day.

Jackie seemed like she was always laughing.

When he and Donna had a big stupid fight he'd somehow turned up at her door, asking for booze and sympathy.

He went to Jackie Burkhart for sympathy…

I repeat.

He went to Jackie Burkhart for sympathy!

And, got it!

Although he wasn't sure that whiskey agreed with him, despite how adamant Jackie was about it.

Daniella had woken them both up the next morning with a full English breakfast in bed.

Yep, him and Jackie had slept in the same bed and he somehow ended up cuddling her feet.

He wasn't sure how he got to be so comfortable with her; probably the same way Donna had.

He could tell her stuff he just couldn't tell the guys, and yeah, she had a big mouth, but with stuff that mattered or when asked she actually kept that mouth shut.

They'd become real friends.

Who would have thought that?

Not him.

Not ever!

That's for sure.

After the movie Eric had offered to drive her home but she declined, saying how it was a nice night for a walk and yeah, okay it was, but mostly she didn't want to be stuck in the back with Michael screaming at every noise, still freaked out over the movie and Fez complaining about sitting on the stain.

"I'll walk her home."

It wasn't a question.

Wasn't even a debate.

She knew that look.

Steven was walking her home.

It was a strange comfortable silence for almost half the way until Hyde decided to stop beating around the bush "Hey, what's going on between you and Donna?"

"What?"

She was clearly taken aback by the question, Hyde shoved his hands in his jean pockets, staring straight into the pavement "come on, Jacks, you've been weird around her for weeks, she wants to know what she did wrong? Is it because you're hanging out with Forman all of a sudden? What, can only manage one girlfriend at a time?"

That knocked Jackie for six.

Was she really that obvious?

Was Donna really that upset?

No, Donna didn't care about her… not really… not deep down… she knew that.

Didn't she?

"I'm not being weird I've just been busy that's all, I'm a working girl now after all." She gave him a self-satisfied smile.

He was proud of her for that.

He'd lost the pool after only giving her a week, in fact the only one's still in the running was Red and Kelso.

Sure, she whined about the uniform but never the actual work, she worked hard and without complaint.

He'd never expected that.

She was just full of surprises.

"That you are, now back to Donna."

Her trying to dodge the question had failed and he wasn't smiling at her pout "there's nothing going on, Donna hasn't done anything I swear… I just… things have been tricky lately. You wouldn't understand."

A jolt of anger, disgust and something he dare not name shot through him as a thought came to mind "God you don't have a thing for Forman now do you?"

"EW!"

Her face twisted in utter horror and appal, even stopping in her tracks and almost dropping her bag "Steven, that's just… ew! Gross! Wrong! Just… why would you even suggest that? My god!"

Hyde couldn't bite back his chuckle, every other feeling shaken off with her clear horror at the idea "Come on you two have been spending time lately, which in itself is nuts, also someone, while making out with Lesley Kenna in the food court, may have seen you all arm linked, telling him what pants to buy."

"So, he needed pants, and I have an excellent eye. And Lesley Kenna? Seriously Steven? That girl's had half the school and the faculty!"

"Exactly!" he gave her a shit eating grin that made her smack his arm.

They laughed for a second before realizing they where stood outside her house, well the gates to her house.

Jackie wasn't sure what to say, it was so easy to just be around him, be with him, she just wanted to hold onto him and never, ever let go; but she couldn't do that "Look Steven, Eric's like the big dorky brother I never wanted and the thing with Donna… I know it sounds stupid, but I swear its not her, I'll try to make more of an effort. Pinkie-swear."

He cocked a brow at the perfectly polished pinkie she had up, waiting "what are you five? I'm not doing that."

He'd expected her to pout, say something bitchy.

Instead she giggled with that sad little smile, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek, catching the corner of his mouth instead with involuntary tilt of his head. She looked him dead in the eyes, blue meeting brown… it was like she was trying to tell him some secret "don't ever change, Steven."

"Now that I can promise on."

She turned to the door, fighting to make her feet walk away from him "Goodnight Steven."

"Night Sunshine…" he whispered before walking back the direction they came.

Wait.

No, he didn't say that.

Jackie couldn't move.

Couldn't breathe.

Her mind dragged her back to a night when he'd been half drunk, before either of them screwed up, it was Fez's birthday party, and she was tucking him in for the night.

He just smiled up at her, pulling her onto the cot and slurred "you're so like, bright you know? You're like, fire, no, man, like sunshine!"

He chuckled and kissed the back of her neck, arms wrapped tight to keep her close, breathing her in as he began to murmur " _you are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy…_ "

He'd passed out without finishing the song or seeing the tears of sheer joy it brought to Jackie's eyes.

They didn't bring it up again, she wasn't even sure he remembered saying it, until he'd started calling her 'his little sunshine'.

Never actually in public or anything but still…

He didn't call her that.

He couldn't have.

She wore his shirt and cried herself to sleep so hard that night.

It wasn't real.

It wasn't fair.

She wasn't his Sunshine anymore.

She never even was.

"Jackie, the boys are wanting their check and I'm wanting to go home, so unless your little friends are here to line my pockets get them out."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello my Lovelies! so sorry about the wait but i hope its worth it for you all. Thanks so much for all your support in this story your all amazing!**

 **Especially my awesome new Beta wprincessannw who was gracious and kind enough to go over ALL my other chapters and is just generally a sweetheart.**

 **Thanks sweetie.**

 **Anyway hope you all enjoy and i look forward to hearing your thoughts. the longer the reviews the more giddy i get to write, not even kidding!**

 **Love ya's xoxo**

Steven Hyde was not happy.

In fact, he was pretty pissed off.

I mean seriously what the actual fuck?!

Last nights dream was probably one of the worst yet.

It was just as jumbled as the rest but this one didn't have one good freaking thing about it… not one!

First, he hate fucked some blonde chick he felt a strange contempt for.

Punched Kelso so hard his entire hand started silently screaming at him.

Then he got some fucked up power kick out of hurting Jackie, not burning her, no, it was way more fucked up than that, like he set out to see how far he could go until she left the room or started to tear up.

The last one he couldn't quite remember, he just kept hearing this voice in his head; fragments of a conversation.

" _How could you do that?"_

" _I don't know who you are anymore, in fact I don't think I want to!"_

" _We're done."_

He couldn't place the voice, it was familiar sure, but it was so full of anger and shock horror that he just couldn't focus on anything else.

But it was following him like his own shadow since the moment he opened his eyes that morning.

Digging his fingers into his mass of curls, pulling slightly with his eyes scrunched tight, Hyde ignored the sound of Bud leaving for work with a brief goodbye, just like he was trying to avoid the looped sentences running around his skull.

What the holy fuck was going on?

Across town Jackie was already up and ready, waiting on her front porch for her ride when she saw her mother's designer heel step out of some guys Rolls Royce, with dark sunglasses on, clearly hungover.

"Jackie sweetheart what are you wearing?" Jackie could feel her mother's judgmental eyes and couldn't help curling her tongue back in annoyance.

"It's my uniform for work mom, we went over this last week remember?"

Jackie doubted she did.

"Oh, right… look honey I know you and your father had some sort of disagreement but Jackie, sweetie, for god's sake look at yourself!" Pam cast a look around, hoping none of the neighbours could see her daughter dressed like… well like a poor person.

"I got a job mom, it's not the end of the world."

"Socially it is, and I heard from Janice that you quit the cheer squad? Why on earth would you do that? And this job… I taught you better than that. Pretty girls don't work, god did the work by making us pretty. Well me more so but still… have you even thought about how bad all this makes me look? My daughter, working some menial job in cheap polyester, what if someone we know sees you, or heaven forbid recognises you. It's like I don't even know you at all these days."

Jackie couldn't have bit back the bitter laugher even if she'd tried, not that she bothered "oh please, Pam, let's not, okay?"

The blonde hungover Amazonian brought a hand to her throbbing head "uh, I don't have it in me for one of your little tantrums right now." Pam walked passed her daughter and into the cold manor house without a second glance "Daniella, be a dear and fix me a Bloody Mary and some aspirin would you."

It was only then, as Jackie tried to swallow her rage did she realize at some point the Vista Cruiser had pulled up at the front gates.

She grabbed the bag she'd packed for the sleepover and threw it in the back seat, careful not to let it rest on the stain, and wondered if her parents would even notice her missing tonight.

Again, she doubted it.

"So, your mom…" Eric lightly tapped the staring wheel as his eyebrows did one of those strange dance things they do.

"Yeah, yeah, she's beautiful and hot or whatever, I know. Now shut up and drive."

"I was going to say is kind of a bitch, but yeah that too." Eric gave her one of those big grins that made her smile on reflex.

"I know right? I mean I know she's my mom and everything, but when I talk to her, or see her, it kind of makes me want to scream and run away." Eric laughed with a small, almost understanding as he drove away from the empty shell (hell or shell?) Jackie called home.

"I used to just think you were mean because well… you were just mean, but after what I just saw, plus these last few weeks, I think I get it, you're mean for pretty much the same reason as Hyde; you both have crappy parents. That's right I said 'parents' because I've been driving you around for a while now and I've seen your dad like twice; plus, you never mention them. Which in hindsight makes a lot more sense." Eric was putting a lot of pieces together in his head as he spoke.

Like how Kelso talked about Pam always being flirty and in her underwear at weird times of the day.

How cool Jackie's dad was for not caring about them being alone in her bedroom.

Hell, even that one interaction he'd had with Pam was shrouded in a new light.

Jackie never talked about them, not unless she was asked or bragging about something they brought her, which she hadn't done for a long time. She always dodged the topic, like Hyde, except Jackie did it with over talking while Hyde's approach was a little more on the aggressive side.

Huh.

He'd never noticed how similar their situations where before.

Because take away the money and it's pretty much the same.

Absentee dad, drunk mom…

Eric felt a pang of guilt for having never noticed it all before.

Looking over to Jackie, fiddling with his stereo to find a song she approved of, he wondered if anyone else actually had.

She hid it pretty well.

He wondered what else she could be hiding.

He wanted to ask more, dig deeper but she'd settled on singing along to Fleetwood Mac, making him forgo his train of thought "Man, I love these guys!"

Jackie smiled, like she already knew it somehow… except she did.

This was their band.

Well…not yet, but if how the two started singing and swaying along to the smooth beat was any indication then Jackie was pretty sure that was a destiny kind of thing.

She was more than happy about that, they we're going to be okay, after all, they were Jackie and Eric.

Twitch and Tiny Devil.

How could they not be okay.

At least she still had some slice of her best friend.

After Eric dropped Jackie off he'd spent the car ride home with his brain picking apart certain things.

Like Jackie not telling anyone that her parents seriously sucked.

I mean sure she had money, nice clothes and a big overconfident mouth but other things were coming to light.

Like how she was always checking to make sure she looked perfect, like her mother, like the dutiful daughter her father expected.

Was her vanity really just vanity.

She was always telling Kelso to tell her how pretty she looked, always needed to be the best-looking girl in the room.

Eric was just realizing how deeply insecure she was; which is just nuts!

I mean come on Jackie's beautiful, anyone with eyes could see that.

He remembered the other week, when he'd stopped by to pick Jackie up for an early shift at the diner. Pam had answered the door in the prettiest underwear Eric had ever seen, she was smiling and touching his arm… she even offered him a drink, asking how he knew Jackie, how long they'd been dating.

He hadn't really noticed how after he set her straight her attentions faltered slightly.

Her eyes losing that daring streak but still clearly wanting his attention.

Especially when Jackie walked into the room.

Hell, the woman almost fell into his lap.

At the time he'd been so giddy he didn't really notice how Jackie's face flooded with shame and embarrassment.

He'd been so proud.

Bragging to the guys.

Now he just felt sick.

"Hey honey, did you get Jackie off to work okay?" Kitty was waiting in the kitchen, mixing up some batter when Eric walked in.

He noticed a few different trays of Christmas themed cookies "Mom, you know Christmas is like, almost two weeks away right… wait are we having a party?"

Just as he picked up a tree shaped cookie Kitty slapped it out of his hand "No, and that's not for you, the peppermint Christmas Trees are for the Pinciotti's, caramel crunch Snowmen for Fez, Chocolate Santa faces for Steven, snickerdoodle snowflakes for Jackie and oatmeal raisin reindeer for Michael. And for you my precious boy… taste this!"

She held the wouldn't spoon to his lips with a glee filled smile. He licked the spoon and was flooded with many Christmas memory's that tugged a smile onto his lips "gingerbread…"

Kitty squealed happy at her little boy's obvious joy "Your favourite! Now, what shape do you want? Gingerbread men, oh, maybe some presents or…"

She was cut off as Eric quickly wrapped his arms around his mother, squeezing her lightly and catching her more than a little off guard "Well now, what's all this?"

Kitty was careful to put the bowl of batter on the counter, so she could hug him back, she didn't get many hugs like this anymore… he was growing up after all.

While he'd been standing there watching her fuss over him and all this friend's, Eric couldn't help but think about Mrs Burkhart or Edna Hyde.

They were bad mom's.

Like seriously bad.

Then he looked at his mother, who loved all these kids she didn't have to, making them cookie's and coco and just loving them.

Eric just realized something, his mother was amazing.

Was this how his friends saw her, why everyone chose his house, why they all flocked to his mother's every wish?

She loved them, she didn't ask for a damn thing and she loved them all so much.

He just wanted to hold her, to try and find a way to tell her how much it meant.

How much she meant to him.

"I just… I'm just really glad you're my mom." He spoke into her hair, like he used to do when he was little, and she'd carry him to bed.

Except now she was tucked snuggly under his chin.

Kitty wasn't sure what brought this on, but she knew her boy, knew that she had to squeeze him and rub his back to sooth him "well, I'm really happy I'm your mom too."

She took his face in her hands, eyes filled with that sweet concern he was suddenly so grateful for "Honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just needed a hug off my mom, that's not so crazy is it?"

Kitty beamed brightly at that.

"No, honey, I actually think it's pretty great."

That was the moment Red walked through the kitchen door, muttering something until he was ambushed by his son's long arms "What the hell are you doing?"

Red stood like a sloth with his hands in the air, Eric squeezing him a little.

"Oh god, did you total the car?!" Red accused angrily, Eric just laughed and pulled back, patting his father on the shoulder and smiling brightly "The car's fine I just… thanks."

"For what?"

"Being my dad." Eric shrugged.

Kitty saw her husband's eyes widen in shock, uncertainty and a hint of fear; her Red wasn't very good at sharing after all.

"oh, erm… well, I didn't get much say in it so..."

Eric offered a squeeze of his father's shoulder, a silent message before turning to kiss his mother's cheek and heading down the basement "I love you guys."

"We love you too sweetie." Eric didn't see the tear Kitty quickly wiped away, he still needed her.

Even if it was just for a hug, her baby still needed her.

"That kids on dope!"

"Don't ruin this for me Red."

Hyde was watching TV, trying to numb the voices and images in his head just as Eric came into the basement "Hey man, where is everyone?"

"Fez and Kelso went to watch the ice skaters fall over at the park and Donna's packing for the big sleepover." Hyde's voice dripped in sarcasm towards the end.

"Still? Thought she'd be done by now." Eric plopped on the sofa, seeming only half interested in the conversation.

"Nah, man she's in girl mode, she came by to ask me what pyjama's she should pack… unfortunately my suggestion to go nude was discarded but still, it was kind of freaky, and wrong. She was acting like…"

"A girl?" Eric smirked, enjoying how uncomfortable Hyde seemed about being Donna's new 'girlfriend'.

"Yeah. She needs Jackie back man, I can't take any more of this crap…" Hyde stood, heading over to the freezer to try and shake off some of the anger seeming to bubble under his skin.

"What are you talking about?"

Eric didn't get it, didn't notice how little time the two girls spent together, and Hyde couldn't help but scoff "maybe if you weren't so busy braiding friendship bracelets with Jackie you'd notice that she replaced Donna, with you."

"What? I did not replace Donna!"

"Please Forman, lately your more Jackie's girlfriend than Donna is yours." Hyde was trying to bury the unnerving feeling that he refused to acknowledge as anything more than annoyance.

Eric moved up to sit on the backrest of the sofa, clasping his hands together "That's not true… I mean yeah, Jackie and I've been hanging out but believe it or not, she's actually pretty fun to be around as long as you steer clear of unicorns, fashion and clowns… yeah, she is not a fan."

Hyde cocked a brow at his best friend, who waited a beat before flailing his arms in the air "I did not steal my girlfriend's best friend."

"Whatever you say, Erica." Hyde calmly reclaimed his seat, not even remembering picking up the soda bottle, but taking no small amount of joy in watching his friend squirm.

Maybe Forman and Jackie being friends had its advantages after all.

The day dragged out pretty slow for Jackie, there were only a few of the regulars at the diner plus George in the kitchen and Jane sat in the back office, that Jackie was sure was actually just a broom closet with a desk, going over the books for the suppliers.

"Geeze get out of the way dwarf!"

Oh yeah, and Sophie.

Jackie was pretty sure this girl was created just to piss her off.

She was shallow.

Constantly staring at herself.

Dressed like some dirty groupie.

And she was a total bitch!

They were destined to kill each other, Jackie was sure of it.

She was also sure she wanted that sluts Sunday shifts and the number of her Salon; because if it weren't for her misshaped, black eyebrows Jackie never would have known that her blonde was bottle based.

What? Jackie appreciated great hair… even if it was on the head of a troll!

"Shut it skank!"

A head of blonde hair under an ugly blue fishnet and worn blue eyes popped up from the serving hatch window "Hey, knock it off, Jane hears you two cat clawing in front of customers she'll cut your Christmas bonuses. Table 6."

Sophie snatched up the plate with a glare while Jackie eyed her tables, hoping they'd ask for their check soon so she could finish her shift on time "she is such a bitch, I can't believe you ever dated her. why would anyone date her? Her eyebrows alone are reason enough not to date her; I mean hello their called tweezers."

George laughed with a small shrug "I like my women how I like my food."

"Dirty, greasy and with the potential for making you barf?" the brunette's nose turned up in disgust.

"Very funny, and no, fast and with a little kick. Love me a mean girl; And hey!" He clicked a pair of spatulates at her "Don't insult my food or I'll talk to Jane about the mascot idea again!"

A horrifying image of her in a sweaty fuzzy burger costume flashed before her eyes "Alright, alright, I was just kidding… kind of, well mostly… but not really." George laughed at her before the pair got back to work.

She liked the guy, she liked Jane, she liked getting paid, she didn't like how itchy the cheap material of her dress made her perfect porcelain skin.

Monsters.

After her last table got their check Jackie headed out into the parking lot, half expecting to find Eric in his usual spot, leaning on the hood with some nerdy comic in hand.

And he was there… but so was everyone else.

"Hey, you guys know this is a girls' only thing right?"

Fez's face fell ever so slightly until she produced a bag of candy from her overnight bag.

"Oh, my candy queen, one day I shall make you my bride."

"Fez, we've been over this, I only think of you as a friend, one that helps style my hair and knows my colour palette by heart, which is why I love you. As a friend!" Jackie just smiled with a shake of her head, Fez looked kind of confused then quickly shifted to skittish, clutching the bag to his chest with a nervous laugh "Yes, clearly I was talking to you. I mean come on… who tries to marry candy? A crazy person that's who!"

"I don't know, if you head over to Vegas you might marry a Candy, or Cinnamon, or Cherri?"

Jackie felt her teeth grind and her gut clench at Donna's joke, and the brunette did not want to start screaming in the red head's face.

I mean it wasn't her fault.

Donna didn't know.

She wouldn't scream… she hoped.

The strange thing was how that stupid comment made Hyde feel, like he'd just been kicked in the nad's with a tire iron, a flash of blonde and a flood of disgust, anger, regret, shame and sickeningly guilt, came over him; making him feel dirty under his skin.

Not his usual, scumbag, stoner dirty.

No, more like one of his 'Uncles' dirty.

He wanted to crawl out of his own flesh and shower while Mrs Forman washed and pressed the offending skin.

So yeah, that was new.

"So, sleepover… I'm guessing sweaty pillow fights are on the agenda, you know if you need a photographer to capture the memories of this beautiful night then I am your man." Kelso smiled perversely with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Actually, Hyde is the one who works with cameras so maybe he could loan them to us…"

"Not happening perverts." Was Hyde's only response as Fez took a bite of licorice from his bag of candy with a new pout as they all piled into the car.

Donna had latched onto Jackie pretty much from the moment they got into the tight space, clearly giddy and excited about tonight.

Jackie wanted more than anything for Teddy to have been working that day, at least then she could have gotten a ride with Elis and picked Donna up on the way, but no.

Now she's squashed in the backseat with red haired giant and Kelso trying to look down her shirt every two minutes… if she noticed Hyde glaring at her Ex using the rear-view mirror, his jaw clenched tight as he bit into his cheek, she didn't mention it.

Because Hyde would never be jealous of Kelso over her…

Not this Hyde.

It was her mind playing tricking her.

Right?

"So, guys what are your plans tonight, you know without the lustre we bring to your pointless little lives." Jackie smiled her best smile, trying to not stare at Steven in the mirror.

"We are having a boy's night. Bowling, greasy food, beer, boob talk, yes, yes." Eric smiled, he didn't realize how little he'd hung out with the guys lately.

He didn't want to give up this thing with Jackie, he actually liked her now, hell he even cared about her but he felt kind of like a jackass for not noticing how much time he'd spent with her… how much time he'd taken her away from Donna.

He didn't mean to; he just… liked hanging out with her.

Huh, don't even ask when that happened.

They took a sharp turn, almost forcing Jackie into Kelso's lap and before his smirk could fully form she shoved him "Ewe Michael, get off! I don't want whatever this week's disease is sapping through your pores and poisoning me!"

She saw Hyde's smile despite trying to point Eric towards the right street.

He couldn't have hidden it even if he tried, not that he planned to, in fact he planned to make her try and jump out of the moving car just to get away from Kelso… for no particular reason, obviously "Actually Jacks, it's a rash this week."

"EWE!" Jackie hadn't been so close to Donna lately but now she was pretty much climbing her to get away.

"OH! Hyde you promised."

"Yeah… I did, didn't I. but it's funnier this way."

They pulled up to a little pink house that wasn't much different from the rest in the street "this is where Teddy lives?"

Jackie shot Eric a confused look "Yeah, why?"

"Nothing it's just… not as 'squat' looking as I assumed it would be."

Jackie threw him a look that made her look like an angry cat "Eric, we've talked about this. When you read a book by it's cover…"

"…You only get the first page. Yeah I remember."

The original Jackie of 77' would be so pissed about that little eyeroll, this Jackie however found it pretty endearing.

It had been her grandpa who'd told her those words… back when she was like seven and started freaking out because her dad invited a bunch of poor kids to her birthday party, it looked good on his campaign.

Back then she thought her grandpa was nuts, I mean come on… she had dolls with nicer clothes than those kids.

She'd only mentioned it to Eric when she was working on the water pump on the Toyota with Red. He said he'd never have guessed for all the bubbled gum ice cream in the world that Jackie Burkhart knew anything about cars.

"Wow, Jackie that's deep. I didn't know you had it in you."

Jackie wasn't going to go into bitch mode

She wasn't because there was no malice in Donna's words.

Shock, sure.

As long as Jackie tried to focus on the tone, on the fact that Donna wasn't being a mean, backstabbing bitch, then she could live with it.

God please let her live with it.

"Yeah, well we better head in. Have fun without us, you know, if you can." Jackie swallowed her bitchy comment and moved to kiss each of her friends of the cheek.

Hyde looking stoic, even when Eric kissed her cheek back like it was the most natural thing in the freaking world.

What the fuck.

Then she kissed his cheek, except she didn't, because somehow, either he moved or she did, her lips caught the corner of his; making them pucker slightly on instinct.

This seemed to be becoming a habit.

But it was nothing.

A friendly, almost kiss.

Hyde figured Forman for those all the time…

That was his reasoning, even though that single thought made him want to smash his best friends head into the steering wheel.

"Have fun ladies."

As the car ripped out of the street Jackie forced a smile to her lips, turning to Donna she linked her arm "Come on."

Donna smiled, feeling much like she had before Jackie started hanging out with Eric.

Poor girl was completely unaware of the uneasy weight on the brunette's head as she knocked on the front door.

A middle-aged woman with long perfectly curled dark hair and a red lipstick smile greeted them "Hello girls."

"Hey Mrs Haze, this is Donna."

"Nice to meet you dear, I'm so glad my Teddy-Bear's finally got some real girlfriends." Mrs Haze beamed and walked them through the house that was bright and a little dated.

The kitchen was pretty much a box room and you could see Teddy sitting on the countertop with a plate of cookies between her legs "Teddy-Bear your friends are here."

"Princess, Gingernut. Welcome to hell, please check your souls at the door."

Mrs Haze sent a half-hearted glare to her daughter, shrugging on her coat "Theodora be nice. Now I'm heading back to the store for a few hours, we have the Walters wedding coming up and if I leave Karen in charge they'll end up with dahlias and daisies instead roses. There's money under the tortious for take out, so have fun, don't wreck the house and tell your bother he's grounded."

"You got it, Phyliss." Teddy gave her mother a small salute, trying to squirm away from the goodbye kiss.

"Have fun girls!"

Teddy wiped at her cheek and glared at the two sniggering girls "So I have a stupid name, because Donna and Jackie are so fucking magical!"

"Whatever you say… Teddy-bear!" Jackie was the one to make the joke; Donna didn't know this girl, didn't want to rock the boat if she was going to be trapped in a house with her all night.

Not that it stopped her from laughing though.

"Shut your food hole and tell me what you want on your pizza!"

"I don't think that makes sense." The redhead thought aloud, clutching her overnight back close.

Jackie just shrugged it off, looking just as comfortable here as she did in the basement.

Donna wondered how many sleepover's she hadn't been invited to.

If she was even welcome at this one.

That's stupid I mean come on.

Jackie's her best friend.

Right?

Across town the boys sat at the bowling lane and Fez was glaring daggers at Hyde for another crappy roll "Since when can you not bowl? We are losing!"

"I know Fez!"

"You should have told me you became bad at bowling before we picked teams!"

Kelso made a tutting sound, cradling a bowling ball on his him as he glared "Well that's what happens when you're on the losing team. You lose!"

Eric looked between his friends, faking a blank stare "and we didn't so much choose teams and much as Fez started screaming 'I'm on Hyde's Team, I'm on Hyde's Team.'"

"Because he always wins… until today where he has failed me. Good day." Fez kicked off the back of his shoes without unlacing them as Kelso sighed "Fez hang on."

"I said good day."

Now it was Kelso who glared at Hyde, looking like a disappointed parent "See what you did? Now he won't settle down until someone buys him a slush!"

Kelso went after their candy loving foreign friend while Eric fixed Hyde with a look, like he was trying to figure something out "What are you looking at Forman?"

"Man, what's with you?"

"Seriously, come on I lost a game of bowling, its not the end of freaking world." Hyde sat down to untie his shoes, fixing his sunglasses back into place.

Eric just yanked at the bow and kicked them off, refusing to drop the topic "I don't mean the game, I mean you. You seem even more pissed off than usual, which, I'm not going to lie, is mildly terrifying."

"I'm fine, Forman just drop it!"

"but you're not fine, clearly, so fess up." Eric gave one of his cocky smirks, knowing sooner or later Hyde would cave.

Hyde stood not even bothering to glance back as he sneered "I said I'm fine! Get off my back!"

Eric just followed right after him, knowing his friend well enough that this might not end pretty "Hyde man come on, you've been off for weeks, hell I come around last week, and you were listening to country music, what's that about?"

Jackie.

It was about her and these crazy fucked up dreams that were plaguing his every cell.

They didn't feel like dreams, it was like a Déjà vu thing but not.

He hated this shit.

Hated it all.

So Hyde couldn't help it.

Couldn't stop it!

the attack or retreat where his only defences.

So, naturally. He attacked.

"You know what Forman, just because you suddenly decided your friends actually matter now that you're done playing house with Jackie doesn't mean shit! You think bowling and snaking beers means anything. You haven't been around for weeks, and even if I needed your help, which I don't, I wouldn't say shit because you'd just run off gossiping about it with Jackie, who'd end up telling the whole fucking town because she can't shut her spoiled fat mouth."

It was like a switch.

Some sort of shift, because suddenly Eric wasn't Eric.

He wasn't the dorky boy with a snarky comment.

He was a pissed off guy getting in Hyde's face before shoving him back hard into the counter top "you don't get to talk about her like that, man! Jackie's a good person and actually a freaking awesome friend, these last few weeks she's been there for me, when I've fought with Donna, when my dad's been riding my ass about some bullshit, also she doesn't burn me for actually showing emotions. That's right I said it! Because god forbid you feel one freaking thing that actually matters!"

All that anger and, not that he'd ever admit it, jealousy came ripping through the surface and he just couldn't shove it down "Please, you think you know her because you had a few play dates? Get real Forman, this is Jackie Burkhart okay? The same mean shallow little cheerleader we were ragging on a few months ago. If you really think that that bitch is really…"

Hyde was on the floor, his jaw throbbing in agony and his best friend stood over him with ragging fire in his eyes "I don't know what your problem is but **get over it**! Because if this is you, if this is the guy I've spent most of my life looking up to then I don't want to know him."

Hyde couldn't move, couldn't breathe, Eric Forman had hit him, hard.

Their eyes locked, ignoring the crowd that had formed, and everything was pretty much said in that one moment… until Eric opened his mouth.

"Deal with whatever's going on, Hyde… or we're done!"

Hyde managed he get back onto his feet and stared in awe after his best friend.

That tone.

Those words.

That voice that had been tormenting him all day.

Forman?

It was Forman?

What the fuck was going on?

Teddy was doing Donna's makeup, both sat on the floor of Teddy's dark room, it was purple but one wall was painted black and she had fairy lights pinned to the ceiling, it was actually really pretty.

Jackie was flickering through a magazine on the small twin bed wearing her favourite plaid pj's, neither Teddy or Donna seeming to notice the dark shirt and faint smell of pot form under the button up.

"Okay… and done!" Teddy smiled and handed the redhead a mirror.

Donna was a little bit taken aback by the perfectly blended makeup that made her eyes pop and her lips looks more than kissable "Holy crap I look awesome!"

Jackie smiled brightly, bouncing off the bed to inspect her friends work "Oh my god Donna, you look beautiful! Who knew pink was your colour; I love the gold too, brings out your eyes more. Actually, I kind of get why guys find you attractive now."

Donna giggled just a little, enjoying the familiar backhanded complements she'd been denied these last few weeks "thanks Jackie, I love yours to, never would have pegged you for red lipstick."

Jackie flicked back her hair and pouted her lips, blowing a kiss into the air "Oh please, like there is anything I can't pull off?"

"Teddy how'd you get so good at this stuff? I suck at this girly stuff."

Teddy ran a hand over her shaved head with a shrug "I've never really been the dolls and dresses type, but after my mom caught me screwing around in her makeup bag she figured we finally had something in common and booked us in for a couple of makeup art classes."

A pang of jealousy twitched to life inside Jackie, her mother would never dream of doing anything like that with her. quality time? Yeah sure if you counted making sure she didn't choke on her own vomit or one of trips to the mall every few months then sure… Pam Burkhart was mother of the freaking year.

"That must've been nice, maybe I could talk to my mom into something like that."

In that moment Jackie kind of hated Donna, mostly because she knew that Midge would jump at the offer.

She needed to stop thinking about it, so she grabbed the Tv Guide and quickly changed the subject "Hey, the original 'Eyes without a Face' is on at midnight, any takers."

Teddy took the TV Guide to read what it was about, Donna peaking over her shoulder and her now freshly plucked eyebrows nearly meeting her hairline "Jackie this is a horror movie, in French!"

"What you're too good for subtitles? Or maybe I'm just to dumb and pathetic for something like that?"

She didn't mean to snap at her like that, really, she didn't but it hit her like a train, the shocked tone like Jackie was stupid or something, hell she didn't even need the subtitles.

Her French was flawless god damnit!

Teddy arched a perfect brow and tugged at the overly large black shirt she was wearing anxiously.

Donna just looked confused and a little hurt "what? No, no, Jackie I would never think that! I just didn't think you liked scary movies. Remember when we went to see the Omen at the drive in and screamed at the same time. I just figured they freaked you out is all. Seriously I'd never think you were into anything like that, you know that, right?"

Pain.

Oh god Jackie could see it even if she was blind and she felt extra crappy about it.

She didn't want to hurt Donna.

This Donna had never done anything to her, she didn't want to blame her.

Just as Jackie went to open her mouth, completely unsure what was going to tumble out of it, there was a loud knock echoing the house.

"That'll be the pizza." Teddy went to stand, but Donna and her Amazonian legs beat her to the door, grabbing the money from under the ornament "I got it." And pretty much ran out of the room.

Well, now Jackie felt crappy.

"Hey Princess, what was that?" Teddy plopped down on the bed beside her friend, totally confused about the clear underlining issue.

Jackie didn't want to open up, she didn't want to talk about it, hell it's not like she could even talk about it not really.

So, she feigned innocence with a shrug "what was what?"

Apparently, she was a crappy actress.

"Drop the shit, what's with you and Gingernut? Hell, it's clear you didn't want me to invite her in the first place, you act all skittish and shit around her like she screwed your boyfriend or something and she barely even seems to know a thing about you, and you act like you don't even want her to know. I just don't get it."

Teddy looked Jackie dead in the eye and asked clear and serious.

"Why are you even friends with her?"

"because she's Donna." The brunette shrugged, like that was the only answer that mattered

"Okay… details are a little lacking here princess; because no offence you kind of seem like you hate her."

Jackie practically jumped off the bed, her voice reaching a new octave "Hate her? are you kidding me right now? I could never hate her, she's Donna for god's sake. I mean yeah, we've had our problems and things have been messed up but hate her? Look you don't know her, yeah, she's opinionated and bull-headed and kind of a big goon, but she's so much more than that, she's strong and kind and does what she thinks is right and to hell with everyone else, she's one of the people that pushed me to be more than some shallow little rich girl. She's… she's Donna!"

"oh…"

Both girl's heads snapped to the doorway, the tall redhead stood with the Pizza box's in hand and Jackie couldn't move.

She's Donna.

She's Donna.

And she's pretty much threw the boxes at Teddy, so she could squeeze the life out of the tiny brunette, Jackie could hear the light sobs in each word "I love you too midget."

Something clicked inside Jackie.

This was Donna.

Donna who let her cry and repent when she thought she was pregnant.

Donna who couldn't bear to hurt her with the truth of Michaels lies.

Donna who needed her.

Donna who loved her.

Jackie's arms pulled the redhead close as she let out a sob of her own, Donna, her sister, that she lost so long ago was right here.

She was right freaking here "I love you, Donna. I'm sorry I've been such a bitch I just…"

"It doesn't matter. I just, I really missed my best friend. I missed you so much." Donna took a step back, but they didn't let go, both kind of scared that if the moment ended it'd be back to awkward strained conversations that meant nothing.

Jackie looked into Donna's eyes and saw nothing of the blonde-haired witch that broke her heart.

She saw her sister.

Her Donna.

"Nice, now lean in and give her a little tongue."

Both girls snapped out of their trance to see Teddy with a wicked smile on her face.

They shared a silent glance before each snatching a pillow off the bed and hitting their hostess "Hey come on, watch the Pizza!"

They laughed, and it felt real.

It was real.

For the first time in a long time Jackie felt good.

Maybe she could fix it all.

Maybe she could even have it all.

Could she even dare to hope…

Across town Hyde was sat in the dive bar his dad worked at, nursing his third beer of the evening.

He didn't want to go back to the apartment, that meant sleep and sleep meant dreams.

Yeah, no thanks.

He had to give it to Forman though, his jaw hurt like a bitch.

He was actually pretty proud of the little dweeb.

"Hey, that doesn't look to good." A girl took a seat without waiting for an invitation and traced a finger over his bruised cheek.

"You should see the other guy."

Yeah, and laugh him right out the door if she did.

"I'd rather be seeing you." Her voice was sultry, and it was clear what she wanted.

Plus, she was easy on the eyes, not a knock out, but hot none the less.

Hell, he could use a pick me up after today.

"names Hyde."

"Hey Hyde, I'm Sophie."


	8. Chapter 8

To say Jackie had a spring in her step was an understatement, she'd spent the night bonding over crappy movies and nonsense girl talk with Teddy and Donna.

Teddy was considering dying the dark stubble on her head and after Donna saw her piercing's (yeah…not just her nose!) the redhead had contemplated getting one as a statement and because well, they looked so cool.

It was just a normal slumber party.

It was strange.

In the best freaking way you can imagine.

Jackie had never dared dream she'd feel this way again.

Calm.

At ease.

Happy.

…not with Donna Pinciotti of all people.

Then to top it all off her check came in early, meaning she could finally buy some new outfits for Christmas.

Oh, and gifts, obviously.

Then of course there was our fiery haired Amazonian, Donna had spent those last few weeks on the outskirt of Jackie's life, and in that time so much seemed to have changed, Jackie changed.

I mean sure she was still vain and mean and kind of bossy, but something was different, the midget somehow seemed more… mature?

That hurt.

Not that Jackie had grown up so much in such a fleeting time, but that Donna had missed it…

And she didn't even know why.

Why had Jackie doubted their friendship?

Why didn't she trust her anymore?

Why had she started looking at her like she was waiting to be smacked in the mouth?

Why did Donna feel a dark pang of guilt when she saw her best friend flinch?

Donna had all these questions and no answers, I mean sure she was dying to ask but after last night… I mean they just got back to being friends, could she really risk it?

"Donna are you even listening?" Jackie crossed her arms with an arched brow and a tap of her heel, balancing her shopping and overnight bag over her small frame.

"Yeah, um, sure you said something about shoes…"

"Eh-err! I'm afraid that's a wrong answer!" Teddy mimicked a game show announcer around a mouth full of twinkie.

Clearly enjoying the little show.

"Donna! I said we should get manicures and our hair done for Stevens party tonight. God if you want to look like last months Cosmo reject then fine, why do I even bother?" Jackie stormed off towards the salon with a snap on her hips.

A few weeks ago, Donna would have answered that question with an annoyed eye roll, now? Now she was just kind of happy to hear that high pitched aggravated tone.

It was like everything was back to normal again.

"Donna? We're waiting!"

Donna couldn't help but smile, jogging towards her friends.

Yep, back to normal.

"Hey what do you think about me as a blonde?"

"NO!"

Across town Hyde hadn't even opened his eyes yet, hell he didn't want to, an image of a certain brunette faulting around his old room at the Forman's, half eaten packet of cookie's in hand while sporting nothing but his favourite shirt and her sweet smile, was playing over the back of his eyelids.

It was only the warmth coming from beside him on the lumpy mattress that forced him back into reality.

And god how he wished he'd kept his eyes closed.

Yeah, the girl was pretty enough but he suddenly had a face full of blonde hair and were he'd dreamed of the delicate scent of baby powder and honey he was now rudely assaulted by the stench of cheap wine and some sickly-sweet perfume that was playing on his gag reflex.

"Morning, Stud."

God even her voice was like a cat's claw on a chalk board.

Or maybe that was just the mild hangover setting in.

"Morning."

He didn't want to seem like some asshole, but… well he just wanted her leave.

He didn't usually let girls sleep over, it happened every now and then but was not something he let become a more than singular occurrence.

He didn't want to lead some poor chick on after all.

He barely even registered her getting out of the bed until he noticed what she was wearing.

"That's my shirt!"

His favourite shirt.

He sounded a little more pissed off than he'd meant to but he sure as hell didn't remember saying she could prance around in his clothes that's for damn sure.

It had nothing to do with Jackie.

That dream.

Nothing at all.

Sophie just laughed and peeled off the black tee, throwing it on the bed beside Hyde "relax, it was just closer than mine after you passed out… you don't happen to remember where my panties went do you?"

"Nope."

He rubbed at his bruised and tender jaw while Sophie starting rooting around for her clothes, thank god.

Not that he would have kicked her out like some dick or anything, but he needed to rest up, he had to head into work at some point for a few hours, restock his stash, go 'shopping' for a keg for the party and head over to the laundromat.

Yeah, he was almost out of clean underwear and socks.

A smile tugged lightly at his lip, head falling back into the flat, caseless pillow at how mortified Mrs Forman would be if she knew that.

"Is it cool if I take a shower real quick, before I head out?"

"Sure. There should be clean towels by the hamper."

"thanks."

Hyde didn't watch her go, didn't even notice she'd left the room until he heard the water running through the wall.

A part of him just wanted to go back to sleep, back to those thankfully good dreams he had last night; Donna and Jackie failing to play fight like he and Forman could, Jackie pouting at him to get her way that just made him want to bite at her sweet lip, Jackie forcing him to buy some nicer clothes and the little sparkle in her eye when he gave in as along as she swore never to tell another living soul they spent the whole day at the mall.

And he'd enjoyed it.

Then there was that last one…

Hyde always knew Jackie was hot, but Jackie in nothing but his shirt.

*Knock, Knock*

Our local rebel was pulled from that dangerous train of thought by the front door to the apartment.

Thank god!

Pulling on a pair of sweats, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes Hyde opened the door, expecting to find that Bud locked himself out again.

"Forman…"

But no such luck.

Eric stood, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, his long fingers twitching slightly and smiling fretfully "Hey Hyde, buddy! My buddy Hyde."

They stood there for a tense, awkward second that felt like a good half hour before Eric bowed his head lightly "Um, can I come in?"

"Whatever." Hyde shrugged turning his back to the lean boy, taking a seat on the sofa but not shutting the door in his face, Eric took that as a good sign.

Eric followed Hyde's lead, closing the door behind him, stopping in his tracks to take in the trashed apartment "Jesus Hyde, did they get everything?"

"What?"

Realizing that the apartment had in fact NOT been burgled, Eric tried to play it off by getting back to why he was here; The purple bruise lining his best friends jaw.

Eric took a seat beside Hyde, nervous energy steaming from every skin cell on his pale body.

"Look man, about last night..."

"Forget it."

"No, no, I can't. Hyde, just hear me out man, please?" there was a desperation in the boys voice that made it so Steven couldn't look at him without feeling like an ass.

"Sure…"

Eric let out a relieved sigh, he wasn't sure what he was going to say, even if he had been up most the night monologing what he would say, even on the drive over and the ten minutes he'd lingered out in the hall but now… he just opened his mouth and hoped he didn't put his foot in it.

"Man, I am so sorry I hit you, I mean, I can't even believe I did that! It was like I just couldn't stop, like I'd been taken over by the force or something, I don't know. I just. I am so, so sorry!"

It was true, the moment Eric had stepped foot outside the bowling ally it was like someone had dropped a tub of ice water over his head.

He didn't understand why he reacted like that, I mean yeah, calling Hyde out was fair and all but when he started bad mouthing Jackie, it was like someone else was at the steering wheel and he just… couldn't stop.

Ever since the night Jackie drunk dialled him he'd felt this strange need to protect her, to comfort her, to make her smile and laugh and just be freaking happy.

He'd tried to make it go away, tried to think of all the reasons he couldn't stand her, she was mean, spoiled, kind of bitchy, she was kind of like a nicer version of Laurie but every time he saw her he felt this pull, he just needed her somehow.

Not in Donna way.

God no.

He just needed her around, things felt better when she was around.

He felt braver, more self-assured.

He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and make it all better.

She was a tiny little devil he couldn't escape.

Things had changed, he could see her now.

And he knew Hyde had seen her too, not the spoiled little rich girl, but her; Eric remembered him taking her to prom, even though the idea of prom made Hyde shudder, and she'd told him about how she'd tried to kiss Hyde in her dad's car.

I mean, he thinks she told him… she must have… right?

Anyway, that doesn't matter, what matters is this; the scariest thing, the thing he'd been going over and over again all night was that feeling when he punched the guy who'd been watching his back since seventh grade!

There was so much rage, disappointment, bitterness and…

 **Hate!**

He hated Hyde.

Hated him and resented him more than he knew he was capable of with anybody.

But the moment he got outside it was just gone.

Poof.

It was all so messed up.

The whole thing was like a bad dream he'd forgotten he'd had before.

Hyde watched Eric's face and saw a sea of emotions running over it, a touch of fear, total regret, sincerity and utter fucking confusion.

"Look Forman, it's cool. I'm actually pretty impressed. I mean, who knew you had it in you?" the two boys shared a terse chuckle as Hyde shrugged "and I guess, I mean, maybe I kind of had it coming."

It was silent for a moment until Hyde spoke around the cotton mouth he'd suddenly gotten "you're not thinking of bragging about this right?"

 _Please don't tell Jackie._

Eric smiled at his friend's hollow tone, knowing him well enough to understand "oh like anyone's going to believe I got the drop on you; Oh man, the onetime my mom's not around with that stupid camera."

 _Never._

Hyde punched his best friend in the arm, a lot softer than he does Kelso only for Eric to point a boney finger in his face "Hey, don't make me hurt you man… I won't take it so easy on you next time."

Hyde was about to ask where the hell he learned to punch like that when the bathroom door opened and out stepped last night's blonde in last nights clothes.

What was her name again?

Sarah?

Steph?

"Sophie?"

Right that was it… wait what?

Hyde looked from Forman, his mouth hanging open when he saw the girl he knew briefly enough to take an instant dislike to, to Sophie who just sent the boy a sneer "god it's you…"

"You know each other?"

Hyde figured that was pretty unlikely, despite everyone knowing everyone in this crappy little town, no one really knew anyone.

If that makes any kind of sense.

"Kind of." Eric groaned at the same time the blonde snapped "No!"

She grabbed her bag and made a bee line for the door turning back only to throw a wink at Hyde "Thanks for the fun, Stud."

The moment the door was shut Eric stood, arms waving about like Mr Tickle "Sophie? Seriously Hyde you slept with Sophie? Sophie?!"

"So, I guess you know Sophie."

"Yeah, you could say that, she works at the diner with Jackie."

Now Hyde was the one left slack jawed, he'd heard all about 'Sophie from work' or 'the Dragan bitch' as Jackie had taken to calling her.

Heard how Jackie's tips would go missing.

How arguments and insults were thrown.

How orders were messed up and that onetime Sophie even tripped Jackie over, making her break two dishes full of food and had to pay for a new uniform because the sauce stain just wouldn't come out.

"oh."

"Yeah! Oh. Jackie is going to freak if she finds out." Hyde watched Eric start to pace slightly and was getting kind of pissed off, because well…

"What hell does it have to do with Jackie who I have sex with?"

"Hyde come on, one of her best friends just spent the night driving miss daisy with the girl that makes her work life hell!"

Wait what?

Since when did he become one of Jackie's best friends?

Since when the hell were they even just friends?

Why was he picturing her finding out and crying?

Why did that mental image poke thousands of little pins through his chest?

Why was he feeling so fucking anxious about it?

Jackie wasn't his girlfriend.

He didn't give a damn if his sex life upset the fragile little princess.

Nope, not one damn did he give…

"Look Forman, how about this? We don't tell her! Hell, its not like I'm going to even see that chick again, so why rock the boat?"

Somehow it felt wrong, almost like he'd cheated.

He imagined this is what Kelso might have felt like when he was messing around with Laurie behind Jackie's back… you know, if he'd have actually given I crap I mean.

But he didn't do anything wrong.

So, he slept with a girl Jackie didn't like, big whoop.

She slept with Kelso and some days he couldn't even stand the guy.

It wasn't such a big deal, he just didn't want to deal with her being all over sensitive and shit.

He didn't want to hurt her.

Eric shook his head lightly, staring at some stain on the wall he wasn't even tempted to ask about, hands on his waist in a way that reminded Hyde of Red.

"Yeah, yeah okay, I guess your right, besides she has enough on her plate right now what with her parents and everything. Let's just forget it, we can totally do that."

Hyde nodded, choosing to ignore the slip about Jackie's parent's.

Where they fighting?

Getting a divorce?

Had her dad lost the house in a drunken poker game?

No wait, that last one was his dad…

Since when did Jackie 'perfect life' Burkhart have actual problems?

I mean besides the whole cheating boyfriend thing.

"Man, I was kinda drunk so honestly, it's pretty much already forgotten."

"That's the, um, spirit?"

Hyde offered his friend a tight-lipped smile, glad this awkwardness over yesterday was over.

By the time Jackie had started to head home from the mall she'd already figured out what she was going the wear to the party, and she was going over the last few weeks in her head.

Everything was going so well, her and Eric where almost as close as they were in 83', Donna wasn't a heinous bitch, Michael and Fez were seemingly still on the right track and Steven was okay.

As in not a drunk…

Or an asshole.

Or, and most importantly, dead.

I mean yeah, he was living with his fake dad and all but soon enough that would be over and he'd be home with the Forman's where he belonged.

Everything would be okay.

It had to be.

"I don't understand why your being like this."

"Because this is the third 'vacation' you've been on this year, elections are around the corner Pam I need you here!"

She'd not even through the front door and their screaming.

Whoopie!

They don't even notice it slam closed behind her.

"Oh, its always about what you need. What about me Jack? I have needs too you know?"

"Tequila and shopping sprees don't count as needs Pam!"

"I knew I should have married Rob! He knew how to treat a woman."

"The Fireman? Please he wouldn't have been able to afford your monthly shoe bill never mind anything else!"

Jackie shut her bedroom door and started blasting the radio before she'd even put her bag's down.

A shudder running down her spine as she remembered flirting shamelessly with her mom's ex, the fireman, this very night in fact.

Well thank god she was re-writing that part of history.

She'd had such a good few days she wasn't about to let them ruin it for her.

So, swaying with the music of some random song she packed everything away and started getting ready for the party.

She hadn't really spent a lot of time with Steven over those last few weeks.

Every time she saw him her breath caught, her heart paused in disbelief and she kept having to remind herself not to stare.

Not to touch.

Not to park herself in his lap, wind her arms around his neck and reclaim her throne.

But by god did she want to.

She just wanted to burry her face into his neck and breathe him in.

She wanted to kiss him and torment him.

Just talk to him.

God…

Good thing she hid that bottle of whisky under her bed.

Hyde was just getting ready for his friends to arrive, and by getting ready I mean finishing off his cigarette and a salami sandwich he'd quickly managed to throw together.

The knock came a little earlier than he expected so he just ended up shoving the salami on the couch and launching the knife and chipped plate onto the counter "Hey guys."

They all walked in one by one, instantly impressed about the Keg he'd lifted, now sat in the middle on the room.

"Oh my god Steven what happened?"

Jackie was suddenly touching his face, soft fingers against the darkened skin and at the unmistakeable look of concern in those big chocolate brown eyes Hyde felt his stomach drop through his feet.

He got punched bad mouthing her and she's stood there all worried about him.

Way to make a guy feel even more crappy.

"Jesus Hyde who'd fist did you run into?" Kelso laughed while Eric tried to mask the smirk lined with guilt filled eyes.

"No one, man it's nothing."

"Hyde come on, I mean, seriously, it looks pretty bad." Donna made her way over to him, inspecting the bruise for herself without pawing at it like Jackie had.

"I think it suits you, makes you look rugged. Oh, like James Dean, very romantic."

Everyone looks at Fez for a second before Jackie takes centre stage, grabbing onto Steven's hand's as her nostrils flared with rage she struggled to keep out of her voice "Steven, tell us who hit you? You tell us who and I vow to mow them down with my dad's Lincoln!"

He would have maybe laughed at that if her wanting to defend him didn't make him feel so shitty about how he got the freaking punch "Look it's fine okay? I got into a fight at a bar, you should see the other guy."

"Yeah, I bet he's really strong and, you know, totally able to beat up Hyde so..." Eric smirked while merrily stroking his own ego.

"Yeah, either that or some nerdy little dweeb that got really freaking lucky." Kelso snorted a laugh, blind to how close to the truth he actually was.

Jackie turned between looking to the group and Steven as she spoke "it doesn't matter because when I find him I'm going put a brick in my purse and beat him with it."

"Drop it okay, let's just get set up before people get here."

"I'll find the cups!" Kelso called, racing towards the kitchen.

Jackie was watching Hyde carefully, she certainly didn't remember him getting beaten up the first time around.

But it couldn't be too bad, I mean Steven knew how to handle himself, but what if this was her fault, what if she'd changed something so he'd gotten hurt?

It broke her heart to see his perfect face tarnished with such an ugly shade of purple.

But she couldn't think about that right now, couldn't think of how badly she wanted to kiss it better.

She just needed to get out of the apartment before Donna saw the stupid funnel and they ended up being chatted up by what she now realized where dirty old perverts.

I mean seriously, they knew they were in high school and still kept flirting…

Gross.

"Um Steven did you get any snacks?"

"I got a Keg!"

"Steven every party needs snacks. It's like the law!"

"I don't believe so my Tiny-Devil like friend… a party usually just requires alcohol and stupid people willing to do stupid things." Eric smiled at her, a long arm falling around her shoulders easily.

"Yeah, and we already got a keg. Now all we need are the stupid people, but hey, I'll do the stupid stuff if they don't show."

Jackie would have rolled her eyes at her ex except she was too busy grabbing Donna's arm and all but yanking her out of the apartment "Yeah, okay, Donna lets go to the store, Fezzy if you could lay out some bowls for when we get back that would be super sweet of you."

"Anything for you my goddess." Her foreign friend smiled joyously.

They were out the door without Donna even getting the chance to kiss her boyfriend goodbye.

The walk to the store had been short and Jackie couldn't help but tighten her coat around her slim frame, not because of the winter chill but because she wasn't exactly comfortable in the neighbourhood.

She was thankful Donna was there, all tall and lumberjack like, she felt safer.

"what time did Teddy say she was getting here?"

Jackie was busy trying and failing to reach for a bag of chips on the top shelf "later, she's trying to convince her mom to unground Elis, so he can give her a ride after work."

Donna reached over Jackie's head, grabbing the chips and putting them in the basket.

"Great, you know Teddy's pretty cool. I like her."

"Yeah, she has her moments, when she's not being a smartass." Jackie smiled at how the two girls seemed to have hit it off before her eyes started to wonder "oh, look Pudding Pop's."

"Jackie, I don't think Pudding Pops are really much of a party snack."

"No, but their Steven's favourite, I mean what if we end up having a circle? He's going to want a Pudding Pop Donna!"

Jackie threw them in the cart without caring what Donna thought.

"Oh, frozen pizza! I wonder if they have sausage…"

Donna watched her tiny little friend start zipping around the crappy store, seeming to gather favourite foods to one Steven Hyde.

She looked so excited about getting him this stuff, because no matter what she said it was clearly for him, and it was clear because she kept mumbling things like "oh, he loves these." And "well he just needs this, he needs a treat."

Since when was that a thing?

Was Jackie just trying to make up for the fact that Hyde got beat up?

Why did she just know all his favourite stuff?

She even knew what brand of Milk he liked.

Who knew that?

She didn't know Eric's favourite Milk brand…

Did he even have one?

Wait, just… what's happening here?

Just as people were starting to arrive, most just random people from school Hyde would never dream of talking to publicly, the girls came back with way more bags than he anticipated "Jacks man, what's with all the food?"

"Yeah, damn Jackie, who are you planning on feeding with all this, the three thousand?" she threw a half-hearted glare to Kelso, offering only a shrug as she starts packing stuff into the empty freezer.

"Michael, I think you mean the five thousand."

"Three, five, whatever, you bought a butt load of food woman!"

She threw a bag of cheese puffs at him, hitting Kelso in the face while Hyde started unpacking the rest of food.

Chips.

Dip.

Nachos.

Frozen Pizza?

French Fries?

Eggs?

Oohh, Pudding Pops!

He watched the little brunette, chatting away to the tall red head as they filled bowls with snacks and stacked up his refrigerator.

Huh, did she seriously just buy him a bunch of grocery's?

"Steven, either put the food away or hand it over! Its going to defrost if you hug it any tighter."

He hadn't realized he's been clenching the bag to his chest, trying to figure out her motives.

This stuff must have cost her more than a few bucks and he knew she wasn't floating on daddy's wallet anymore, it didn't take a genius to realize she'd started wearing the same outfits more than once a fortnight; hell, he even saw a hole in one of her sweaters, so she obviously paid for this stuff out of her own money.

Money she'd worked hard for.

Money, she spent buying his broke ass a bunch of food.

Man, he needed a fucking drink!

As the night went on more and more people turned up, Jackie was having a pretty good time all things considered, also she looked so good in her pretty blue dress, she'd already gotten hit on twice and a bunch of nasty glares from not as pretty girls.

Yeah, she was hot.

"Okay girls, I need to sit down, because no matter how pretty these shoes are they are not dance friendly."

Jackie pulled away from Donna and Teddy in the kitchen, she couldn't even tell you how long they'd been dancing around the apartment for.

"Weakling!" Teddy smiled as she hugged Donna from behind.

"Easy for you to say, your both wearing flats! Ugly, boring, flats!"

"Excuses, excuses." Donna twirled Teddy around as the stereo blasted a new song.

Jackie left them too it, giving a passing smile to Elis as he flirted with some jock near the keg.

She grabbed herself a fresh beer, quickly topping it off with a shot of whiskey from the bottle in her purse.

What?

She'd had like three plain beers already and was barely even buzzed.

She spotted the guys sat around the coffee table, a line of cups in front of them and one glass in the middle of the table.

Her lip twitched up.

"Hey Guy's, whatcha playing?"

Jackie asked innocently, batting her eyelashes as she pulled up a stool between Michael and Hyde.

"Quarters." Steven answered not looking away from the bowl as he landed the shot.

"Forman, drink."

Eric downed a beer with a smirk on his face, the three men looking a little confused at how un-fucked he looked by his fifth beer in a row.

Ever since he'd been hanging out with Jackie his tolerance had sky rocketed!

A devious smirk sprung to life on her perfectly glossed lips.

"I want to play."

Michael sniggered, adjusting the Santa hat on his head "Yeah, I don't think so Jackie, this is a game of skill and technique and you…"

The sound of the quarter hitting the bottom of the glass after leaving Jackie's perfectly painted fingers left Kelso's mouth hanging open, Jackie smirking.

Steven had taught her more than just chess.

"Alright, Jacks your in."

Steven and Fez both arranged a few of their own beers in front of her.

She pulled the whisky bottle from her bag, shaking it lightly "How about we make this a bit more interesting?"

"Traitor!" Eric pointed at her accusingly.

After a few rounds she was starting to finally feel it hit her.

The guys, mostly Kelso, flicked between getting her and Forman to drink.

Fez made a comment about how it would be wrong to try and hit on her if she was drunk, so therefor he wished her to remain as sober as possible, making all his votes go to Eric.

Hyde didn't say much except wanting to see how much his friend could take before puking.

Jackie was nice enough to distribute the shots evenly, for the most part.

At some point Eric decided the game was rigged and stumbled off to find his girlfriend.

Leaving a tipsy Jackie alone with the guys.

With Steven.

A song came on the radio and the little brunette almost shot out of her seat.

"Oh, I love this song!"

There wasn't even a question as she tried to pull Hyde out of his seat "Yeah, no!"

Just as she started to pout, her fingers still latched onto his, Kelso came behind her, knocking over a few of the beers as he tried to be suave but to Hyde just seemed creepy "I'll dance with you Jackie, it's clearly fate for us to dance to this right, I mean come on I'm wearing my Bowie butt huggers."

Jackie, in her alcohol induced daze smiled up sweetly at her ex "Michael, we've been over this. You and dancing are not a good combination. For anyone!"

He pouted like a child, making Jackie reach up to gently fix his hair "But hey, you're still the prettiest person here, well besides me of course."

"Yeah, your right." His goofy smile fell back into its usually place.

Jackie turning back to Hyde and pulling on his hand "Steven, come on dance with me."

"Not happening."

He didn't know why the idea made him so uncomfortable, it's not like he hadn't danced with her before.

Without warning her little body landed on his lap and he almost shot threw the freaking ceiling "Jackie, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm taking a stand, or a seat I guess. I'm staying right here until you dance with me!"

It was a sly ploy.

I mean, her cute little butt was right in his lap, and she was freaking fidgety when she had a few.

Jackie in his lap.

Squirming.

God…

No!

Bad Hyde!

"Fine."

Jackie wasn't sure why she was doing this to herself.

Why she'd parked herself in his lap and demanded his closeness as he pulled her up to dance along to the tune.

Later she'd blame that last hazy shot of whisky.

Right now, though, her head was nestled into his shirt, fingers laced though his hair as she mumbled along to the song "…and we could be hero's. Forever and ever. We could be hero's just for one day."

The rumble of his laugh felt good against her "What?"

"Your singing could almost rival Kelso's dancing."

She shrugged, carrying on with the song as he swayed her.

It felt good to be in his arms again.

Peaceful.

Safe.

All the good things she remembered and if she closed her eyes, breathed him in, just be with him in that moment she could almost forget…

But she just wasn't that lucky.

"Jackie!"

A pair on long arms wrapped around the smaller girl, Hyde taking to punch the person who thought it was okay to put uninvited hands on his girl.

A girl.

Any girl.

Not his.

Just…

Anyway, he stopped after noticing all that red hair and those familiar C cups he'd watched blossom over the years.

"Hey Big Red."

"Hyde, hey Hyde, Hyde look, its Jackie, isn't she so tiny, like a little midget?"

"Yep, that she is."

He watched Jackie try to pry Donna off only for the older girl to squeeze her tighter "you're so little, I could put you in my pocket. You could be my pocket buddy, ha, that would be fun."

"Yeah, until I was smothered to death by all this nasty flannel! Donna how much have you had to drink?"

"Not as much as Teddy!"

Jackie follows Donna's gaze to see Teddy, surrounded by a small crowd as she guzzles beer from the tube attached to Kelso's funnel.

"EW, oh god Donna, tell me you didn't drink from that thing?"

It was gross and nasty, and Jackie was mad at herself for not getting rid of it after they came back from the store.

Donna started to pout and recoiled in disgust "gross, do I look like I want mono?"

"Donna, Teddy would drink beer from a boot if someone dared her to."

For some strange reason the redhead looked like she was about to cry, which seemed to set Jackie off "Stop it, your going to make me ruin my mascara!"

"And that is my que to find Forman." Steven took off into the crowd, leaving to two girls to wallow.

"I can't help it. I just missed you so much! Why did you stop being my friend? What did I do?"

Guilt washed over Jackie like a bucket of ice water, forcing out more tipsy tears.

She didn't mean to say it.

Not one word was ever meant to leave her lips.

But hey, she was drunk and emotional and we all know biting her tongue had never been Jackie's strong suit "I'm so sorry Donna. You didn't do anything wrong, well you did, but it wasn't you. Not this you, this you would never do what that you did. I know that now. I'm so sorry I hurt you."

Donna looked really confused but it didn't seem to matter how little sense Jackie's words made, not with the alcohol coursing through her blood and making her head spin "I'm sorry to, that me is such a bitch, I'll kick her ass!"

Jackie couldn't control it, makeup be damned because that was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard "you would so kick her ass! I love you Donna!"

"I love you to!"

Each girl clung to the other, just needed them to understand they were there.

It was okay.

They were okay.

"Um, yeah, I don't really see the problem here."

Eric watched the girls with a light tipsy smile on his face, having mostly sobered up while stuffing his face with chips and then puking them and most of the alcohol up in the Kitchen sink.

"Their crying man, your girlfriend is drunk and crying, now go fix it!"

"Fine, Donna, sweetie, you okay?" he stroked her back lightly only for her and Jackie to pull him into the tear-filled hug.

"We love you Eric."

"We love you so much."

Hyde watched the girl's envelop his best friend just as Kelso appeared "hey, where's the love for Kelso? I mean, come on!"

The three seem to ignore Kelso's clear outrage at the lack of affection, making Hyde laugh as he tried to wrap his arms around them only to be shoved away, hard.

Don't even ask who pushed him because hell if he knew.

"Kelso man, how much have you had?"

"Like two beers."

Hyde cast a glance to the three still hugging, Forman with a stupid grin on his face "Good, why don't you take Donny and Marie here home."

"Aw, man why do I gotta taken them?"

"Because moron you're the most sober and I can't leave these guys alone in the apartment."

"What about Jackie?"

"Her place is the other side of town, I'll get her a cab."

Kelso goes up to the three the brake up the little love in while Hyde vanishes into the crowd, he needed a second.

She'd been so close.

Smelt so sweet.

He just needed a glass of water, yeah, that's all.

Just to help flush out the booze.

It was fine.

It was all fine.

Yeah, right.

He watched her from the kitchen, she was swaying slightly and he noticed how the whiskey bottle was left drained and abandoned on top of the tv.

He gulped down the water, noticing how some guys were looking at her, she looked good.

I mean, she was Jackie, she always looked good.

Just because he knew she was hot though didn't mean anything.

So, she was hot.

So, Hyde noticed how the velvet of her dress clung to those perfect little curves and the blue made her brown eyes look even brighter.

Screw water.

He needed a smoke.

Nicotine.

Weed.

A shot of morphine sounded good right now.

"Hey, erm, Hyde right?" it was the brother of Jackie's friend, from the look of the guy he hadn't had a drop to drink, but the still wet hickey on his neck was proof he'd had a productive evening.

"last time I checked."

"Just wanted to say thanks for the party, but got to get her home before she pukes." The taller, jock-ish guy looked over his shoulder at his sister, barely standing thanks only to the help of the wall.

"that's cool man, hey you live by Maybell Drive right?"

"Not far."

"You mind taking Jackie home."

"Sure thing, dude."

That was good, I mean yeah, Hyde didn't really know the guy, but Jackie did, knew he'd driven her home the odd few times and judging by how Hyde saw him disappear into the bathroom with Buddy Morgan a while back and now his shirt buttons didn't match the holes he figured it was safer than putting her in a cab.

It also meant he didn't have to deal with her.

With any of the crap that his brain had been subjected to of late.

Man, he really needed that smoke.

Jackie had slipped away from the crowd after Kelso managed to get Donna and Eric out the door, she'd passed on a ride home from Elis and a giggly, green looking Teddy.

She just told them she was going to get a cab.

Honestly though she just didn't want to go home.

Home meant her parents.

Pointless yelling.

The bedroom she'd come to hate as much as she once loved it.

No Steven.

Memories she sure as hell didn't want to remember.

It was better here in the gross little apartment.

She could feel him in the room.

Watch him.

And in her drunken daze she could almost forget that he was ever not there.

Almost.

Somehow her feet had carried her into his bedroom.

It was bigger than the cramped boiler room in the Forman's basement.

It even had a window.

But it didn't feel right, like home.

It did smell like him though.

She could of happily drown in that scent as she took a shaky seat on his neatly made bed and kicked off her heels.

Her nibble fingers found his pillow and held it close.

Her head was starting to spin.

She just needed to close her eyes for a second.

Just one second then she'd head back to the party.

Just a second…

So Bud kind of put an end to the party, apparently he wanted to be an actual father now.

It felt strange.

Not because Hyde hadn't had a father for a long ass time.

But it was like playing pretend.

Something about it just wasn't right.

Hyde just had to shake it off.

And thing of burns for Donna tomorrow, because she'd apparently threw up all over Red's shoes and Forman was spending the night under Bobs watchful eye while the boy held her hair back then crashed on the sofa.

That was going to be fun.

He'd already thought up a few while he finished cleaning and trying to find a place for the grocery's Bud had shoved at him.

It was way after midnight by the time he finally made it to his room.

What he found left him a little speechless.

Jackie.

That tiny little brunette hell beast hadn't just invaded his dreams she was now invading his freaking bed.

Damn it.

He watched her for just a second, deciding what to do.

She looked so, calm.

Not the usual raging ball of fire and sass he knew.

Before he knew it, he was pulling off her ridiculously high shoes and tugging at comforter over that dainty little frame.

He was about to leave and make for the crappy, no doubt beer stained, couch when he heard it.

"Steven?"

He knelt beside her, brushing back her hair to try and sooth her back to sleep "yeah, just me, go back to sleep."

"Stay!"

It was a whisper, more of a whimper, pleading and desperate and if he hadn't alright been so close he'd have missed it "please, Puddin' Pop, don't go."

It was insane.

But she looked so sad, even without opening her eyes and half asleep.

He knew he was going to regret this in the morning, but he kicked off his shoes, not bothering to take off his jeans as he crawled beside her, laying over the duvet to keep some kind of distance.

Mechanically her nimble little fingers reached for his hand, pulling his arm around her and nuzzling into her chest.

He felt, rather than saw her little smile when she breathed out a heavy breath at having him there.

Hyde waited for her breathing to even back out before he completely laid his head on the lumpy pillow, sucking in the scent of her honey washed hair and just as unthinkingly as Jackie he nuzzled her close, breathed her in, even laid a small kiss on the curve of her velvet covered shoulder.

"Sweet dreams, Sunshine."

He drifted off with the girl he once swore he hated, safely tucked away in his arms.

And for the first time in so long his sleep would be dreamless, black and calm.

For the first time in so long they would both finally rest.

Until tomorrow anyway.


End file.
